


An Echo, A Stain

by owlettica



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Babitha-ish, BabithaLee? That's what I'm callin' these three ladies anyhow, Complicated Relationships, Cunnilingus, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub Undertones, Eventual Smut, Exhibitionism, F/F, Face Slapping, Former lovers to whatever these two ladies are now, Hair-pulling, Jealousy, Masturbation, Memories, Nostalgia, Not Beta Read, Orgasm Delay, Pastries, Queening, Regret, Restraints, Sex Club, Sexual Fantasy, Smut, Spanking, Stalking, Strap-Ons, Thompkeans, Threesome - F/F/F, Vaginal Fingering, Voyeurism, Workplace Sex, difficult conversations, gotham smut, painful memories, post-Babitha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-08-29 15:42:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16746814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlettica/pseuds/owlettica
Summary: Barbara and Tabitha struggle to navigate their changed relationship and professional partnership. Lee struggles to help The Narrows in the aftermath of the Tetch Virus.All three women discover more about themselves and each other as they make their mark in Gotham's underworld.—:::—This fic takes place during the earlier part of season 4/4a.Y'all know the drill. I'm not associated with Gotham or FOX. I'm just a sick fan attempting to write what I'd like to see on the show. Please don't sue me. I have no money.





	1. Someone Call a Doctor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Otov_Sensa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otov_Sensa/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara and Tabitha struggle with their new relationship and professional partnership as they establish The Sirens' munitions boutique. Lee does her part to help The Narrows in the aftermath of the Tetch Virus.
> 
> Barbara reaches out to an unlikely source for a favor when friends from an old haunt need a hand.

The Sirens’ sumptuous surroundings and quality merchandise give their enterprise an upscale and competitive edge. The swank also discourages any chauvinist behavior from any knuckle-draggers still stuck in the Dark Ages (who are, sadly, still a dime a dozen in Gotham’s underworld).

Although Barbara’s more than capable of handling herself, Tabitha has the uncanny ability to discourage vexatious behavior from such cretinous clientele. Galavan rarely has to resort to her persuasive techniques, as her reputation precedes her. Then, of course, there’s the Sirens’ kitty cat, Selina. Despite her youth and relative inexperience with “the biz”, she’s becoming formidable in her own right.

 

—>b<—

Barbara tilts her head and stretches a smile as she escorts her customers out the door, her throaty voice dripping with honey and venom.

“Oh no, gentlemen. Thank _you_ for dropping by. It’s a pleasure doing business with you. Don’t forget our humble little enterprise for your future business needs.”

The instant she closes the door behind her customers, she drops the facade and smirks.

_Too bad your competitors had no qualms paying for superior weaponry. I’m sure we’ll be seeing you again when you find out—assuming you live long enough, that is._

The evening turns out to be a lucrative one. _If not for Penguin, a helluva lot more so._ She rolls her eyes and sucks her teeth at the thought of that insufferable little bird-beaked asshole’s taxes. Still, it’s preferable to facing his attack dog, Zsasz.

The Sirens’ last sale has Barbara feeling downright celebratory. Although their last customers were unwilling to spend as much as their rivals, the proceeds from the evening’s sale are nothing to sneeze at. She stretches a smug smile as she turns to her associates.

Selina sits barely noticeable in a corner, looking typically bored. Tabitha leans in a doorway.

“I don’t know about you ladies, but I’m in the mood to celebrate. What do you say we go stimulate the local economy with some of the hard-earned cash we’ve got comin’?”

Selina tries to appear disinterested. She furtively glances at a glaring Tabitha before quickly returning her gaze to Barbara. The teen shrugs, her reply dismissive.

“Nah. I gotta go do… _stuff_. Have fun. See ya tomorrow.”

After Selina slinks off, Barbara subtly swivels her hips and turns to Tabitha. She raises a brow and tilts her head.

“What about _you_ , gorgeous? Any chance you wanna head out tonight and stir up some trouble… say, _for old times’ sake?_ ”

Tabitha replies with a slow blink and an eye roll as she looks away. She huffs, shakes her head and walks off.

Barbara sighs and heads for the wet bar to pour herself a whiskey once Tabitha’s gone. She swirls the top shelf in her crystal tumbler and smiles bitterly before taking a swig. Her face burns hot as she recalls Butch’s final words before she put a bullet in his brain.

_“You wanna know why you’re always taking shots at me? It’s because for all your tough talk, you miss her. You miss her loyalty, her strength. She made you better and you know it. And you sacrificed this for what? To play queen for a day? Pathetic. If it helps, you didn’t deserve her in the first place.”_

Her mind drifts to moments following the battle royal after her ex discovered Butch’s hand. Her body jerks with the memory of the searing pain of that electric surge coursing through her body, drawing her muscles rigid and taut.

Her dissolving consciousness perceived only red… then black, until that flash of white. She jerked upright again, sucking in a huge breath as her body continued reacting to the excruciating pain of the electrical current. She expected to see Tabby’s cruel glare when her eyes flew open—only to see _his_ face.

Ra’s calmed and settled her, explaining he brought her back to fulfill a “higher purpose”. He later trained and bedded her, as well as financed the munitions boutique—only to disappear as quickly as he’d appeared. He offered no explanation, only an assurance that he’d return when it was _“time”_.

And so she waits. _Again._ Waiting for someone to return. Waiting for something to happen. Waiting to move forward. Waiting to be noticed. Waiting for the “right” time.

What the hell is her life supposed to be now anyway? She feels untethered, disconnected… _discarded. Again_. First, it was her parents. Then it was Jim. Renee, Tabitha and now Ra’s.

She presses her lips into a thin line as she remembers her broken promise to her ex at their old club, Sirens.

_“Remember, when this is over and we’re in charge, Nygma dies. You made a promise.”_

She can still feel her index finger beneath Tabitha’s chin.

_“Sealed with a kiss, baby.”_

Barbara presses her stinging eyes shut and takes another long swallow. On one hand, she’s thrilled to have Tabitha back, even if only for a business partner. Still, having her so close is not without its challenges. Despite Tabby’s physical proximity, she’s so distant now. Those dark eyes that once gazed at her with fierce desire and protectiveness are now cold and hard.

Her body still aches for Tabitha’s: her pendulous breasts and exquisite curves. Barbara’s fingers twitch at the memory of her honey beige peaks and valleys…

...the tangled sheets…

...her sighs and moans…

...those wet black curls...

She tosses back the rest of her single malt.

_Fuck it. I’ve got to get outta here._

She strides out of the main business area and down the hallway to her small private parlor with a small bar, seating area, wardrobe and vanity. She kicks off her black kitten heel Ferragamos and strips out of her silver silk suit, tossing it on the settee.

The blonde opens her wardrobe and runs her fingers along a few hangers with cocktail dresses until they alight upon a knee-length, low back carmine red sheath number. She removes her bra and tosses it atop her suit. The woman slides into the thin-strapped dress and slips into her clear four-inch Louboutin spiked heels with small gold spikes on the vamp. She lifts each foot onto the chair of her vanity and bends to buckle the thin gold ankle strap, smiling and wiggling her toes with delight when she realizes they’re painted a matching red.

She turns her attention to her ears. The blonde trades her diamond studs for her gold vermeil chandelier earrings with rubies, before grabbing her eyeshadow and leaning into the mirror of her vanity. She fills in a smoky eye and grabs her liquid eyeliner to paint a dramatic cat eye before selecting the cruelest red lipstick she can find.

She regards herself in a full-length mirror with a self-satisfied smirk. If Tabitha isn’t going to notice her, she’ll make damn sure someone else does.

 

—>t<—

Tabitha rides back to her apartment alone on her Yamaha MT-10 since Selina said she had plans, but the thought of another lonely night really isn’t all that appealing. She doesn’t get very far before she reconsiders her decision to blow-off Barbara’s invitation.

Tabby still harbors resentment towards the woman she once loved so fiercely and to whom she was so loyal. It still hurts that Barbara put her ambitions before her—and then to kill Butch? Still, as much as it pains her to admit it, her ex no longer exhibits the behavior that drove the wedge between them in the first place. She now takes pains to obtain her input as well as Selina’s in business matters. There are times she’s apologetic, even _humble_ of all things.

Tabitha’s convinced it’s all an act and only a matter of time before she reverts back to her off-putting sense of entitlement and presumptuousness. If not that, she’s certain Barbara will eventually settle upon a new ambition to place before and above everyone else. To date, however, she hasn’t.

 _Maybe she really_ **_has_ ** _changed._

She screws up her mouth and puffs out a huge sigh before circling back to their munitions boutique, hoping she won’t regret her decision. She’s not exactly sure what she’ll say once she gets there, but she’ll think of something.

Tabitha pulls up and parks. Just as she’s about to switch off her engine, she spies Barbara walking out the front door—dressed to kill in _that dress_ and those “fuck me” heels. Her body immediately reacts, flushing with heat.

Just then, a cab pulls up and Barbara slinks in.

Tabitha wars with herself as she watches the cab drive off. She knows it’s none of her fucking business _what_ or _who_ Barbara does anymore.

But none of that seems to matter right now.

She immediately begins tailing the cab.

—

Eventually, the taxi stops and drops the blonde at a place neither she nor Barbara have visited in some time—at least not since she helped one of their Dominas hone her whip work and Barbara facilitated the club’s acquisition of the more expensive decorative objects for their Kinbaku/Shibari tableau. Galavan shakes her head incredulously.

_The Foxglove?_

_Barbara really_ **_is_ ** _in a mood tonight._

Tabitha’s prickling jealousy surprises her. She tries to convince herself it’s merely her curiosity. She pulls over about a half block up the street and watches on as the bouncers rake their eyes all over her ex sauntering up the stairs like she owns the place.

They stare at Barbara and her gyrating hips as they open the doors for her and turn their heads, watching on as she slinks in. Their eyes trail down the low back of her dress and their mouths slacken. After they close the door behind her, they turn to one another, slowly shake their heads and blink, mouthing their appreciation.

—>b<—

Barbara walks into the foyer and pulls her invitation from her small clutch as she saunters up to a statuesque hostess. Trance-like electronic music pulses in the background.

She slinks into the club and grabs a glass of champagne from the tray of a buxom redhead in a gold lamé bikini. Barbara purrs and appreciatively rakes her eyes all over the curvaceous woman as she tilts her glass.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Kean prowls around the club. She peers up and slowly smiles at a fierce leather-clad woman dazzling the audience with her whip until she feels the pang and thinks of Tabitha. She pinches her face and presses her lips together before taking a swig from her fluted glass and continuing onward.

She passes the pet players and briefly stops to appreciate the intricate criss-crossing ropes biting into the flesh of a particularly delicious sub. When she finds her glass running low, she saunters towards the bar, takes a seat and orders a single malt.

She hikes up her dress and crosses a leg over a knee as she turns to take in the sights. As luck would have it, her barstool provides a great vantage point to watch a Dom flogging his sub who’s bound to a Saint Andrew’s Cross. Barbara recognizes a well-known pastor whose megachurch is advertised on billboards all over Gotham. She snickers and shakes her head at the man of God who thinks he can go unrecognized in his pup hood while his well-muscled leatherbear Top drags him around by a choke chain.

About then, she spies a face she hasn’t seen in some time. Mensestopheles walks past in her red catsuit, red platform heels, horns and trident. In heels, the drag queen stands well over six feet. Menses is famous for her unflappable and imposing carriage, but tonight she’s visibly distressed. Barbara addresses the crimson-clad stunner as she flits by muttering to herself.

“Well, _hey there_ , stranger. What’s got _your_ knickers in a bunch?”

Menses whips her head around, neck working and nails clicking in preparation to unleash the fiercest shade until she recognizes the petite blonde. Her eyes widen with surprise, then delight. She dramatically places a perfectly-manicured hand on her chest and the other on her jutted out hip.

“Well, I’ll. be. _damned!_ Look what the cat dragged in! If it isn’t _The Barbara Queen!_ How in the _hell_ have _you_ been?!”

Barbara curls up one side of her mouth as she swirls her tumbler.

“Well, let’s just say _I’m alive and kicking. You?_ ”

The drag queen shakes her head and dramatically plops herself on the barstool next to the blonde.

“Hunty! If you only knew! I just _can’t_ with these people!”

Mensestopheles looks around and leans in.

“Okay, not a _fucking word_.” She rolls her eyes and sucks her teeth. “Our in-house doctor is outta town on a _much-needed_ vacay. _Anyway_ , the doc she arranged to replace her the next week or so couldn’t help but sample the merch! She’s passed out in one of our private rooms!”

Barbara shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

“Amateur!”

“ _Exactly!_ ” Menses shakes her head and dramatically waves her hand. “Anyway, the doc’s fine, but we’ve gotta getta ‘nother one in here _pronto_. Girl, _you know_ how things can get around here!”

Barbara sips her whiskey and offers Menses a knowing smile.

“Well... it just so happens I _may_ know someone. Lemme make a few calls and see what I can do.”

Barbara slips off her barstool and walks over to a quieter section of the club, near the sensory deprivation area. She makes a quick call and purrs into the phone.

“Kitty cat. I hate to interrupt your busy night of ‘stuff’, but is there any chance you have time for a quick detour to The Narrows? I’ll make it worth your while.”

  
—>l<—

Lee sighs as she locks up the clinic, disheartened by their dwindling medicine, supply cache and their diminishing coffers. As she turns to walk down the hall and call it a night, she sees Edward approach. He looks at her with mild apprehension, nervously adjusts his glasses and absently opens his mouth. Lee narrows her gaze and addresses him, her voice low and wary.

“What _is it,_ Ed?”

Nygma rubs the back of his head.

“You have a visitor.”

Lee feels the rising dread as he points a thumb over a shoulder before blinking in surprise at the petite young woman who slinks out from behind him.

“Selina. What are _you_ doing here?”

—

Lee leans back at her desk while she skeptically converses with Kyle. Edward and Grundy flank her on either side.

“Seriously, Selina. Cut the crap. What’s the catch?”  
  
The teen sucks her teeth and sighs with exasperation.

“Look. I dunno, okay? Barbara just said the club needs a doctor to fill in until they close. It’s supposed to be a sweet gig and it pays _really_ well. They already sent a driver to come get you if you say yes.” Selina shrugs and rolls her eyes. “That’s all I know.”

Edward turns his back to the young woman and leans into Lee’s ear, chewing a thumbnail.

“I don’t like it. Barbara could be up to something. Remember what happened last time she was here? Besides, if you leave, who’s going to take care of things?”

Lee looks up at him, her whispered reply resolute.

“Ed, let’s be realistic. The clinic is desperately low on supplies and medicine. We need antivirals and more antibiotics for all the secondary infections and co-infections we’re seeing from the Tetch Virus. In case you forgot, we’re having a _bit_ of a cash flow problem right now. I can handle myself—and I can _certainly_ handle Barbara. Besides, you and Grundy are _more_ than capable of handling anything that happens in my absence. It’s only for a few hours. Let’s face it. We need the money.”

He presses his lips together and shakes his head before snorting out a long, exasperated huff.

“Fine. Just text me with updates and your location.”

Lee turns to Selina.

“Alright. Fine. I’ll do it. So, where’s this car?”

Selina casually shrugs and nods towards the front of the building.

“Outside. The driver’s out front waiting.”

The teen turns to leave but briefly stops, glancing at Lee’s clothes over a shoulder.

“Oh, yeah. You might wanna change. This place has a dress code.”

Lee and Edward exchange glances.

—

Lee snaps her phone shut and slips it into her black wristlet after texting Ed about her safe arrival and address. The chauffeur opens her door and escorts her into the posh establishment. Two bouncers nod as they open the front doors for them.

“Dr. Thompkins.”

Her brow quirks in surprise before nodding to the men. As she enters the foyer, Peaches’ “[Downtown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27fUjx8SyiM)” plays in the background.

 _“...’Cause I wanna take you downtown_ _  
_ _Show you my thing, show you my thing…”_

A short, thick, voluptuous woman in an aqua knee-length latex dress with clear platform peep toes greets Lee as she enters. The sepia-toned hostess rests a hand on her ample pulchritude and sighs with relief.

“Dr. Thompkins! I _sure am glad_ to see you! The Foxglove can’t thank you enough for comin’ by on such short notice. You’re gettin’ us outta one _helluva_ jam. I’m Solange, by the way. Lemme show you where you’ll be workin’ if we need you later.”

_The Foxglove?_

Lee blinks with astonishment to discover she’ll be working at the exclusive sex den accessible only to those with invitations. Before dating Jim, she’d never even heard of the place and probably wouldn’t have if he hadn’t mentioned the club when he and Harvey were searching for Ogre. Not even Jim knew exactly [what Harvey saw at the Foxglove](https://youtu.be/VskGVA479zQ), but he apparently never got over it.

She follows the swinging hips of the woman as she guides her through the club. Lee looks around in disbelief at the decadent panorama of pleasure and pain at every turn.

She shakes her head incredulously at the exquisite furnishings with erotic details and the well-moneyed patrons in their ostentatious couture. The lavish surroundings couldn’t be more different from her impoverished Narrows.

Lee follows the woman into an area for medical fetishists. Her facial muscles retract and her teeth clench in distaste at the people dressed in latex medical uniforms “examining patients”, “dispensing medicine” and “administering therapy”. Just as Lee’s about to interject she’s an _actual_ medical doctor, Solange turns and wryly addresses her.

“Look Doc, I know I ain’t gotta tell ya _that…”_ The hostess points a thumb towards the medical fetishism. “...Ain’t _real_ medicine, but lemme assure you we only use _surgical grade_ equipment. We also properly clean and sterilize _everything_. We always have a registered nurse present who monitors all the play. Our _actual_ medical facilities are this way.”

They walk a little further into a more secluded corner of the club. Solange opens the door to a small examination room with medical equipment, supplies and medicine. Thompkins blinks and shakes her head. Her jaw slackens in disbelief at the sight of everything her clinic desperately needs but woefully lacks, all generously stocked and neatly organized.

Solange can’t help but notice her reaction.

“There a problem, Doc? You need us to get anythin’ else for you? We have additional equipment and supplies on site.”

Lee puffs out an embittered sigh.

“No. You appear to have _everything_ I need.”

Solange scrupulously narrows her gaze and tilts her head.

“Okay, Doc. _That_ didn’t sound convincing _at all_.” Solange rests a hand on her hip and works her neck. “Look. If there’s one thing I know, _it’s people_. This is just between you and Solange. _Spill_ _it_. Ain’t nobody here but you and me.”

Lee presses her lips together, looks down and shakes her head. She returns her gaze and replies apologetically.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that I operate a small clinic out of The Narrows and…”

Solange instantly holds out her hand and shakes her head.

“Stop right there, Doc. Believe me. _I get it._ I’m _from_ The Narrows.”

The buxom woman shifts her weight, leaning towards Lee.

“Look, I’m not gonna lie. We probably won’t even need you tonight. Our club caters to high-profile clientele and we pride ourselves in maintaining their confidentiality. It’s why we have a doctor on premises. In case our guests’ play gets a little _too_ edgy? The alcohol and drug use around here doesn’t help. In fact, it’s why we needed you tonight. Our regular doc’s out on personal leave and our establishment proved _a little too tempting_ for her replacement. She’s sleeping it off now.”

Lee raises a brow and nods knowingly.

“I’d still like to check her out just to make sure.”

—

It turns out Solange was right. Lee thoroughly checked out the woman, who’d come to already—a little embarrassed and dehydrated, but no worse for wear. Solange tells her to make herself comfortable wherever she likes around the club and provides her a phone to contact her in case she’s needed. Lee tries to rein in her disbelief at the substantial haul she’ll make for a mere few hours’ work.

 

—>b<—

At the bar, Barbara finds herself distracted by the approaching hips and legs in a black dress. Her eyes slowly scan upward to find Lee Thompkins in a knee-length halter neck number with a revealing keyhole opening in the bust and slinky four-inch peep toes. Kean stretches a salacious grin and purrs at the advancing brunette.

“Who says smart isn’t sexy?”

Barbara dramatically raises the back of her hand to her forehead and tosses back her head.

“I think I’m feeling a bit under the weather, Doc. Any chance you’d be willing to look me over?”

Lee slowly shakes her head, rolling her eyes.

“I fear it’s psychosomatic. Besides, I’m not the kind of doctor _you need_ , Barbara.”

Kean responds with a dramatic pout.

Lee shifts her weight to one leg and crosses her arms as she scrupulously eyes the blonde.

“Seriously, Barbara. Cut the shit. Why did _you_ reach out to _me_ for this gig?”

Barbara’s eyes glance down to the cleavage accentuated by Lee’s crossed arms before returning her gaze to those impossibly dark eyes. She swirls her tumbler.

“No catch. I ran into an old friend who told me they were in a bind and needed a doctor.” Kean casually shrugs. “You’re a doctor, aren’t you?”

Lee rolls her eyes and huffs.

“Whatever. And really, Barbara? I have to ask. _What were you thinking_ sending Selina to The Narrows by herself? And to talk to me about a gig, _here_ of all places?”

Barbara chuckles.

“Believe me when I tell you Selina knows The Narrows better than you, Tabitha and me _combined._ I bet she can even handle herself better than any of us— _without_ any help from a washed-up, back-stabbing, emerald-clad ‘has-been’, wait more like ‘never was’ and a lab-experiment gone wrong slash hulking freakshow for backup. Talk about an island of broken toys! Besides, even if I _was_ inclined to control her, there’s no telling Miss Kyle ‘no’. Our little kitty cat comes and goes as _she_ pleases. Exactly _how much_ did she enlighten you about the details of this gig?”

Lee grits her teeth at the remark about her crew. She knits her brow as she replies.  
  
“She didn’t. Just that it paid well, had a dress code and they sent a driver.”

Barbara waves her crystal tumbler around.

“Precisely, because it’s _all_ she needed to know. Look, not many people could work here and resist the temptation, but the sexy and self-righteous Dr. Thompkins could.” Barbara swirls her whiskey. “Believe what you want, but I actually _care_ about the people here— _and Selina._ _‘_[We don’t all make decisions based on what it can get us.](http://youtu.be/qJjeAK62STc)’”

Lee grits her teeth and rolls her eyes when Barbara uses her own words against her. She glances out at the various enticements all around. While she is no fan of Barbara, the thought of sitting with the woman seems preferable to exploring the club, especially if she has to work later. _Devil you know and all that_.

Lee purses her lips and glances at the barstool beside the blonde before wryly responding.

“Well, thanks. So, is this seat taken?”

Barbara arches a surprised brow and tilts her head. She smiles to one side of her mouth and nods at the seat.

“All yours, Doc.”

Lee takes the seat beside Barbara and crosses a leg as she sets her wristlet and the work phone on the bar.

Barbara asks for two mineral waters with lime. She slides one over to Lee.

“You know. Since you’re on duty.” Barbara raises her water and tilts it towards Lee before taking a sip. “To your health, Doc. ¡Salud!”

 

—>t<—

Tabitha’s trying to figure out why she’s _still_ sitting outside The Foxglove and so concerned about Barbara’s business. Just when she decides being alone in her empty apartment is preferable to stalking her ex, she does a double take on a brunette stepping out of a limousine and being escorted to the entrance.

She narrows her gaze in disbelief.

_Lee Thompkins? What the fuck?_

Tabitha’s teeth clench. She can still hear Thompkins’ taunt when she stopped by their old club.

_“Wow, you’re not as dumb as I’ve heard. Are there any other glaringly obvious remarks you’d like to make?”_

 

—

About twenty minutes later, she glances down at a text.

 

_“B’s with tonite’s replacement doc._

_RAWR! She’s hot, too!_ _  
_ _U coming by? Just finished my 1st set._

_My next one starts in an hour._

_My sidearm and overhand flicks are lots better. Come see!”_

 

Tabitha taps out a response.

_“Not sure yet._

_They should be. We worked on them enough._

_Just keep me posted, k? Thx”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, y'all. I posted this thing maybe sooner than I should have. I started working on this _months ago_ after finishing my first collab with Filthycasual but never finished it because she seduced me with another Jim Gordon/Victor Zsasz slashfic and, let's face it: women are MUCH HARDER to write than men! I not-so-jokingly told my partner-wifey that I'm the worst lesbian ever because I can't write women, to which she replied, "You're not the worst lesbian ever. You just don't understand women."
> 
> But seriously though. I posted it because I felt like I had to just do it. I've pained endlessly over whether or not I should wait until the whole thing's written, but I've waited long enough. I know myself well enough to know that if I post this chapter (ready or not), I'll pressure myself into finishing it! So if you catch any goofs, please let me know!
> 
> The first chapter starts out fairly tame, but things will be progressively racier, so... uh... yeah. That.
> 
> Thank you for your patience, Otov_Sensa. This is for you. I hope you like it. I still have a few more chapters I promise I'll get out to you. Hopefully, you won't be waiting as long for them as you did for this! <3 *muah*
> 
> —||—
> 
> This chapter has a couple of links embedded for anyone who hasn’t seen or doesn’t remember the references made in this chapter (Harvey’s visit to The Foxglove in 1x21 and Barbara using Lee’s words against her in 4x08). Oh, and let's not forget that last exchange between Barbara and the Grundy formerly known as Butch happened in 3x22.


	2. Downtown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee and Barbara are surprised to learn more about one another and themselves at the Foxglove. 
> 
> Tabitha receives an unexpected reminder of the past.

—>l<—

As the night progresses, Lee’s surprised to discover sitting with Barbara _isn’t_ the worst thing in the world. If anything, what she finds most disquieting are the filthy rich patrons throwing around their fuck money while the inhabitants of The Narrows are living hand to mouth. Barbara’s voice snaps her from her rumination.

“Penny for your thoughts, Doc.”

Lee shakes her head as she looks out at the club.

“The clinic in here is better than ours. _Our_ patients are the ones who _really_ need the care and can’t get any. It kills me that the patrons here don’t have to go elsewhere for medical care it if they get carried away _in here_ _._ ” She smiles bitterly. “It’s hard to see so much wealth and excess and not think of all the people in The Narrows who have little to nothing.”

Barbara swirls her whiskey as she leans in and winks.

“Believe it or not, it serves the staff more than the patrons, but they don’t know that. They _think_ it’s for _them,_ so they’re willing to pay more.” She shrugs. “That pays off for the staff.”

Lee looks on incredulously as the blonde turns her attention back out into the club. Barbara takes a long sip of her whiskey, casting a distant gaze. Her tone grows wistful.

“I wouldn’t let _those_ people bother you. Have they got money? Sure. Tons of it. It buys spectacular homes but no sense of community. It buys enough influence and exposure to make them fret over how the society columns write them up. It buys the best au pairs to raise their kids so they don’t have to.”

Lee listens on, intrigued by _this_ Barbara. Jim never spoke much about his ex or their relationship, but she easily pieced together that Kean came from old money. Barbara shakes her head, coming back to herself. She clucks sardonically, takes a sip and wryly arches a brow at the doctor.

“I think it’s why I fell for our heroic little Captain Vanilla.”

Lee arches a brow, watching Barbara stretch a _hint_ of the smile she flashed at the church when she held both her and Jim hostage. Lee warily shifts on her barstool, remembering Barbara’s words.

 _“_ [ _Cute little do-gooder, Dr. Lee. Hmm? In love with cruel, cold, death-obsessed sadist?_ ](https://youtu.be/vTDakeF9USI) _”_

Lee cautiously replies.

“Jim.”

Kean’s eyes and teeth flash. Her voice crackles.

“Bingo!”

Almost immediately, _that_ smile fades and Barbara’s face softens. Her voice grows wistful again.

“Jim’s father was a well-respected leader in Gotham before he passed away. I met Jim not long after. His family didn’t have the wealth my parents would have preferred, but his father had enough influence and prestige they could live with.” Barbara puffs out a bitter laugh. “He was _just_ different enough, you know? He wasn’t from all that money. He was very serious about school and taking care of his mom. He was smart, handsome, brave… but that was before…”

 _That_ smile returns.

“Well, I guess I don’t have to tell _you_ now, do I?”

Lee recalls Barbara’s words at the church and can still see the knife she brandished.

_“I’m gonna prove that I love him more. I am going to carve your pretty face off your skull…. There he is. My little monster.”_

Lee feels the stir of something dark and responds with a menacing growl.

“No, Barbara. _You don’t_.”

The doctor blinks in surprise at her aggressive response and reaches for her sparkling water. She absently sips her drink as Barbara eyes her with a grin barely tugging at the corner of her mouth. Lee clears her throat and looks out into the club to avoid the woman’s scrutinizing gaze.

Lee notices a pale woman in an electric blue latex corset dress with clear latex stockings and stilettos, slinking up a platform with a lone stool atop it. The platinum blonde turns to face the gathered crowd and slowly descends to her knees before arranging herself supine with her face beneath the stool.

Lee glances to Barbara, whose lips slowly part and stretch into a knowing smile as she watches on. The brunette crinkles a brow and looks back to find a tall, lissome, umber-skinned woman in a fuchsia full-body catsuit now sauntering up the stairs.

The dark woman turns to face the onlookers. She slowly raises her hands and rests her manicured fingertips in the hollows of her collarbone before inching downward to circle around her breasts and tease her nipples. They visibly harden in response. She continues fondling one nipple as she slowly drags her other hand downward, lightly brushing her obliques as she trails the hollows of her rib cage and lazily traces her hips.

The woman slowly circles back to the pull tab of her through crotch zipper, pouting as she suggestively fingers it. Her brow softens and eyelids droop as she drags her other hand between her legs. She softly shudders and grinds her hips against her exploring hand.

Barbara furtively glances at Lee, who shifts on her barstool as she watches the catsuited woman, bewitched. Kean can see the creeping flush on her face and neck. Her eyes trail downward to watch the subtle rise and fall of her breasts gradually accelerate and grow more pronounced.

The catsuited woman takes hold of her pull tab and painstakingly unzips herself down the front. She bends forward to unzip further between her legs, past her ass. She stands upright again and smirks to the crowd before sauntering up to the queening stool to stand over her bottom. The audience watches spellbound as she ceremoniously seats herself. Once seated, the pale woman on the floor twitches and softly shudders. The dark woman closes her eyes, slowly cranes her head back and begins grinding.

The more Lee watches, the more she feels _that thing_ stir. It takes her a moment to realize when her personal phone rings, buzzes and lights up. Thompkins’ shoulders slump in relief. She grabs it and points towards the ladies’ room as she looks to Barbara.

“I’ve gotta take this—and I really should check on things.”

Barbara smiles knowingly.

“Like Nygma maybe? He _that_ lost without you?” She chuckles and shakes her head. “Well, I guess it’s better than expecting you to check in because he can’t accept the fact you’re perfectly capable of handling yourself.” Barbara shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “That’s how _Jim_ was.” She shrugs as she swirls her liquor. “Probably _still_ is. God forbid a woman take care of herself—or worse yet, _think_ for herself.”

Barbara’s comment strikes a nerve. Lee uncrosses her legs to vacate her stool and accidentally brushes against Barbara’s. The moment Lee feels the woman’s hand on her knee, the heat flashes between her legs and her breath hitches. _That thing_ uncoils more. She avoids Barbara’s gaze.

The doctor sets to make a hasty exit when Barbara’s hand suddenly takes hold of her forearm. Lee yanks it back and turns to face the blonde, her eyes flashing as she snarls.

“Barbara! What the fu—?”

Kean playfully wiggles the work phone at her, smiling and arching a brow.

“Don’t wanna forget this now, do ya?”

Barbara shrewdly winks. Lee blinks and presses her lips together, stiffly shaking her head.

“No. Of course not. Thanks.”

Lee’s face grows hot. She clears her throat, takes the phone and tries to ignore the lingering sensation of Barbara’s touch. She works to calm her stirring body as she hastily makes her way to the small lounge outside the nearest ladies’ room. She stops there to text a quick update to Ed, gritting her teeth as she recalls Barbara’s comment.

After entering the ladies’ room, she takes a long look in the mirror, scanning her eyes and face for signs of something, _anything_ that might explain _that thing_. She hasn’t felt anything remotely close to it since the Tetch Virus.

_I’ve been asymptomatic for months now and repeatedly tested negative._

Her eyes slowly drift to the reflection of two women fucking in a stall. Lee’s face grows hot and _that thing_ unfurls more as one moans while the other cries out. Her perineum softens and her body flushes with heat. She softly shudders and her breathing accelerates.

When Solange walks into the ladies room, her shoulders slump with relief.

“Oh. Hey, Doc. I was just gonna give you a shout to tell ya we’re about to close up shop. Last call was awhile back. Meet me in the exam room in ten.”

—

Lee graciously accepts the generous envelope of cash as Solange thanks her.

“Seriously, Doc. We can’t thank you enough for coming by on such short notice and for working so late. Our driver’s out front waitin’ to take you back.”

Solange offers a lopsided grin and a tilt of the head, as she playfully swivels her hips.

“If you don’t have any plans tomorrow night, we’d much rather have _you_ back than ‘Dr. Better Living Through Chemistry _and Breathplay’_.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Just sayin’. Oh, wait. I almost forgot. Here’s a little _somethin’-somethin’_ for your trouble.”

Lee quirks a questioning brow as she accepts a large shopping bag. She opens it and covers her mouth in disbelief at the various disposable medical items, gauze and tape, as well as medicine samples. She looks up gratefully, absently opening and closing her mouth.

“I… don’t know what to say. _Thank_ you, Solange.”

This hostess waves her off before placing a hand on a hip. She leans in and smiles.

“Say you’ll come back tomorrow—or even better, the rest of the week. That you’ll come back if we ever need you again. That you’ll promise to take care of The Narrows. You’d be surprised how many of us are from there. Actually, it’s one of the reasons we have this clinic—not just for our guests. The staff negotiated to have it included as part of their pay. This kinda work don’t exactly come with a retirement package or medical and dental.” She winks. “ _You_ know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout!”

Lee nods and stretches a huge grin.

“Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then.”

Solange bumps her hip.

“See! That wasn’t so hard now, was it? I for one _cain’t_ _wait_ to watch you shake yo money maker with the rest of us! Them bills ain’t gonna pay themselves, are they?!”

Lee shakes her head and puffs out a chuckle.

“No, they aren’t!”

She offers Solange a wide grin and a warm embrace before they walk out into the club. As Lee makes her way back to the entrance, various staff and performers discreetly nod, smile and wink at her. The bouncers bid her goodnight and the chauffeur walks her to the limo. 

 

—>t<—

Tabitha looks down at a text.

_“B spent most of the night talking to the doc._

_She’s leaving alone though.”_

She fires off a quick response: 

_“Thx_

_Sorry couldn’t make it. Another time?_

_I have to see if your whipwork really is as good as you say.”_

About that time, Tabitha notices Barbara walking out of the club to wait for a cab. She briefly considers offering her a ride when she notices the chauffeur escort Lee out the front door.

On her way to the limo, the doctor approaches her ex. Tabby’s eyes narrow as Lee looks down and tucks her hair behind an ear. She also can’t help but notice the way Barbara swivels her hips before following Lee to the limo, smiling and raking her eyes all over the woman as she steps inside to join her.

Before Galavan realizes it, she's tailing another vehicle.

—

The limo returns to The Narrows and stops in front of the building Lee took over. The driver makes his way to open the door in order to assist Lee out _—and Barbara_. Against Tabitha’s better judgment, she pulls over and waits outside, warring with herself _again_. Not long after, she recognizes the tall, lanky figure rounding the corner to enter the building. Her temper flares and her jaw clenches.

_Fucking Nygma._

Just as she’s about to dismount her motorcycle to deal with that asshole once and for all, a second figure rounds the corner. The sight of the bruiser stops her dead in her tracks.

_Butch._

Tabitha’s overcome by the pang in her gut.

 _Well, you used_ _to be._

_“When we were fighting, you called me ‘Tabby’. Remember?”_

_“Grundy want to go back to friend Ed.”_

She blinks back the stinging in her eyes. At that moment, Tabitha decides she’s tortured herself enough. She starts her engine and speeds back to her apartment.

 

—>b<—

Barbara’s still stunned Lee offered to share the limo ride and didn’t refuse when she asked for a tour of her clinic. She follows Thompkins to her office, hoping to see more of what she saw at the bar and in the limo. As the evening progressed, there was a noticeable change in the doctor’s body language. Lee actually smiled warmly at her, rather than coolly down upon her as she inventoried the bag’s contents.

The way Lee deliberately raised the hem of her dress, crossed and rubbed her legs—fully aware she was being watched didn’t go unnoticed either.

Barbara’s eyes roam Lee’s backside as she follows the woman to her humble clinic. She finds herself charmed as the doctor tries to downplay her excitement about the medicine and supplies, but the woman is downright giddy.

She takes the bag as Lee sets it down to unlock the door, brushing the woman’s hand as she does. Lee clears her throat in response and reaches into her wristlet for the key to unlock the door. She glances back to Barbara and nods her in.

Lee flips on a light, takes the bag and sets it on a counter. She unlocks cabinets and instructs Barbara what to hand her. One by one, Kean offers her each item, watching Lee in her element, carefully stocking items with her well-practiced hands.

Only a few more items remain when Lee turns to Barbara. The woman knits her brow and briefly looks down before returning her gaze. Her tone is surprisingly thoughtful.

“Listen, Barbara…” She presses her lips together. “This job couldn’t have come at a more critical time: the money, the supplies, the meds. _All of it._ She offers a small smile. _“Thank you. Really._ ”

The blonde casually shrugs and steps in closer. She tilts her head, slowly smiles and reaches for Lee’s forearm, caressing the inside of it.

“Don’t mention it, Doc.”

Lee looks down at the caressing hand before returning her eyes to Barbara’s and glancing down at her lips. Kean has already begun leaning up towards her with her eyelids lowering. Lee blinks and finds herself leaning down to meet her, when the sound of hurried footsteps and a familiar voice interrupts.

“Lee. Great. You’re back. I was worried Barb—.” His voice stiffens. “ _Oh_. Hello, Barbara.”

Nygma clears his throat and looks to Lee, who quickly pulls away from the blonde. Barbara’s face and voice pinch.

“ _Nygma_.”

Lee presses her lips together and offers Barbara an apologetic glance.

“I’m sorry. Can you give us a moment?”

When Lee steps out into the hallway, Barbara spies a small notepad and pen. She scribbles her number on it and drops it in the bag with the remaining items. She strolls out to the hallway, where Edward’s updating Lee on the evening’s events as Butch— _not!Butch—Frankenstein’s monster—Night of the Living Dead—whatever the fuck he is_ stands close by, his jaw slack and eyes vacant. Kean softly brushes against the woman as she walks past and winks.

“Hey, Doc. I’ve gotta get back myself. You know what they say about a woman’s work.”

She swivels her hips, smiling back at Lee over a shoulder as she slinks out.

“Don’t forget you still have a few more things in there to put away.” She playfully wiggles her fingers goodbye. “Toodles, poodle.”

—

Once Barbara returns to her apartment, she removes her chandelier earrings and tosses them onto her dresser. She unfastens and removes her heels, gathers them by the straps and walks them into her closet. Barbara slips out of her dress and tosses it with the rest of her dry cleaning. She falls into bed and stretches herself across it.

She thinks back on Lee’s crossing legs, the rise and fall of her breasts and the creeping flush on her cheeks. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, conjuring her scent. Barbara still remembers the curve of her cleavage and those flashing eyes.

Barbara gradually reaches between her legs. Her breath hitches when she finds her panties moist. She reaches back up to her waistband and slips her fingers beneath it, gliding over and around her venus mound before slipping down to her vulva. She reaches downward and presses her fingers firmly against it. She rubs slow, decadent circles and grinds her hips, chasing that delicious friction.

She imagines her tongue in Lee’s mouth and slips in her middle finger, moaning in response to how wet she is. Her ring finger follows with her next gyration and soon begins sliding in and out.

Her other hand circles a taut pink nipple before reaching upward, slipping her fingers into her mouth to suck. She returns her moistened digits to the tiny peak, imagining Lee’s mouth teasing her.

Barbara purrs and grinds her hips, soon producing the rhythmic clicking of her fingers gliding in and out. She moans in response and luxuriates in the delicious sensation, her thighs tightening and hips rocking. Barbara removes her slippery fingers and slowly glides them up her slick ribbons to her aching clitoris. She quietly gasps and trembles as she alights upon it and rubs it beneath her two fingers, her thighs and abdominals tightening.

She pictures Lee in the limo, uncrossing her legs and spreading them as she bites her raisin-stained lower lip. Barbara imagines herself slipping a hand beneath that black dress and gliding up between _those_ legs. She imagines Lee’s grinding hips, the heat between her legs and her scent.

Barbara’s body shudders at the thought of slipping her fingers into Lee’s damp panties. She grinds and rubs more urgently as she imagines Lee’s parting lips and her hot, slick folds.

Her gyrations grow more urgent and her moans louder as her muscles tighten and the warmth gathers between her legs. Her thighs soon begin trembling before that inevitable flash and shudder… She pictures Lee with her head thrown back, chest heaving and her legs spread wide. Barbara diligently rubs all the while she quakes.

After her quivering subsides and her hips grind to a halt, she bites a lip and purrs. She rolls out of bed and heads to her bathroom to remove her makeup and shower. She towels off and returns to her bedroom. As she slips into bed, she glances down at her phone and discovers a missed text from an unknown number.

 

_“Thanks again._

_Perhaps I can return the favor sometime._

_—L”_

 

Barbara’s grin stretches impossibly wide.

“Well, what d’ya know?”

She puffs out a throaty giggle, rolls over to her side and curls up to sleep.

 

—>l<—

Lee snaps her phone shut, somewhat disconcerted over how excited she was to discover Barbara’s number in the bag. She briefly worries about how much she’ll regret the text she just sent. Still, the Foxglove isn’t the only clinic that got out of a jam with the woman’s referral.

The brunette lies in bed and thinks about the sights and events of the night, Barbara... _that_ dress, _those_ legs, _that_ smile… in the limo… Barbara’s eyes drifting to her mouth and her approaching carmine lips at the clinic….

When the image of the woman on the queening stool flashes into her mind, she envisions herself straddling Barbara’s face. Lee imagines the woman reaching up to take her hips and guiding her to her hungry mouth. Lee softly shudders as she imagines Barbara’s tongue slipping deeply inside her before sliding out to flick at and tease her clitoris.

Lee softly gasps, bites her lower lip and slowly reaches downward.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic’s been a real challenge for me. So much of one, in fact, I’m finding it hard to come up with some cheeky comment about chapter two here. Again, I’ve done some reworking from my original version of this and haven’t had a beta since my rework. If y'all find any errors and are so inclined, please gimme a shout so I can fix ‘em. Thanks!
> 
> Barbara’s “cute little do-gooder” comment from 2x08 is linked for any interested parties. Grundy and Tabitha’s exchange happened in 4x08.
> 
> Again: huge shout out to lord-garbage for all the amazing help and the fantastic perspective. You are the wind beneath my wings and sh!t! 
> 
> For any of you actually reading this tale, this is about as far as I got with my lord and liege's help with my initial draft. My subsequent chapters will take longer to post because I still need to write and edit them, thanks to the invaluable feedback/direction I received from my lord and savior. I'm also still struggling to work out a few things in this story and my work/travel schedule has been/is/will be grueling for several more weeks. 
> 
> Thank you kindly for your patience, y'all—and _especially_ the read.


	3. Ties That Bind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha struggles to move beyond a difficult reminder of her past.
> 
> Lee encounters an unexpected reminder of her own.

—>t<—

When Tabitha finally arrives home, she finds Selina stretched out on the couch watching television, feet propped up on the arm of it with her legs crossed at the ankle. The teen casually addresses her with a mouthful of chocolate ice cream.

“Hey.”

She sets down her helmet and tosses her keys onto coffee table before joining her. Tabitha grabs the heels of the girl’s Docs and huffs with annoyance.

“ _Really,_ Selina?”  
  
“What?” Selina sucks her teeth and rolls her eyes. “We found this couch on the corner! Do you _really_ expect me touch it with my bare feet?”

Tabitha sucks in a breath, prepared to give her a piece of her mind, before deflating and shaking her head in defeat.

“Alright. You’ve gotta point.”  
  
She lifts the teen’s feet, loudly sighs and plops herself down—making herself as comfortable as possible with the boots’ heavy tread digging into a thigh. Selina addresses her as she scoops out another spoonful from her pint, never bothering to look up.

“So when’re we leavin’ this _dump,_  anyway? The boutique is really taking off. We gotta lot more money now. What’re we waitin’ for?”

Tabitha huffs with annoyance, suddenly remembering Zsasz’s crack about their crappy apartment.

[ _“You ladies were not easy to track down. Then again, I can see why you don’t advertise. Didn’t you used to be rich?”_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_LatLgGTx4)

Galavan answers as the teen hands her the pint.

“We should really save up a little more money first, just to be on the safe side.”

Selina puffs out a big sigh.

“Okaaaay.”

Tabitha shoves in a spoonful of salted caramel and chocolate. She arches a brow in surprise as she eyes the container.

“Wow. This is pretty good. Since when do _you_ eat vegan?”

Selina shrugs.

“I don’t really, but Ivy likes it.”  
  
Tabitha nods as she shoves in another spoonful.

“So what did you guys do tonight?”  
  
Selina scrunches up one side of her face and tilts her head in confusion.

“Huh?”

Tabitha scoops out another spoonful.

“You know. When you had to go do ‘stuff’? You two were hangin’ out, right?”

Selina’s brow suddenly raises with understanding. She nods and shifts uncomfortably.

“Oh… yeah… _Nothin’ really…_ ” Her eyes drift to the television, before reluctantly returning Tabitha’s gaze. She lifts her legs and sits up on the couch. “Well, uh… it’s kinda late and I’m kinda tired so…” She scrunches her mouth to one side as she points a thumb over a shoulder. “I think I’m gonna call it a night.”

Tabitha crinkles her brow.

“Yeah, sure. Okay.”

Tabby takes another bite of ice cream before returning the pint, nodding towards it. Selina stands up and heads for the folding screen demarcating her corner of the tiny apartment. She replies over a shoulder.

“Nah. I’m good. You finish it.”

Galavan suspiciously narrows her gaze at Kyle and calls out to her as she scoops out another spoonful.

“‘Kay, thanks. ‘Night.”

—

Later, Tabitha lies in her bed, looking up at their dark ceiling, watching the occasional flickers of light that shine through the blinds and drift around the room. She replays the night’s events over and over in her mind, still wondering what the hell possessed her to follow Barbara in the first place.

_You aren’t together anymore. You don’t even want her anymore. Why the fuck do you even_ **_care_** _? If you hadn’t followed her in the first place, you would have never seen Butch._

_Why the fuck does_ **_she_ ** _get to find someone? And Lee fucking Thompkins, no less?_

She can still hear his voice.

_“I know you two were close, but whatever you had, she treats you like dirt now. She treats us both like dirt and you know it. She doesn’t deserve your loyalty.”_

She tightly presses her lips and eyes shut in response to the pang in her gut. She still hates herself for taking so long to realize he was right, but the truth is, she just couldn’t leave Barbara then.

Before Barbara, nobody noticed _her_. They only noticed Theo. She always lived in the shadow of her big brother. She was “just Tabitha”, the little sister… the _girl_. No one pinned any hopes on _her_. The most they hoped for her was that she marry into a “good family” (if she was “lucky”).

No monks came to take _her_ away. They only wanted Theo, just like everyone else. She got left behind.

Before Barbara, people only noticed how she _looked_ or what she could _do for them._ They hungrily ogled her and gawked at her curves, oftentimes (and sometimes fatally) underestimating her skill with a gun or a whip. It was only _then_ that their arched brows and appreciative nods came in response to how exquisitely she tortured or efficiently she killed.

Barbara, however, was the first one to _really_ notice her—and the first one to understand what it felt like to be overlooked, underestimated and  _abandoned._ The first one who _recognized her_ and _wanted her_.

She wanted Barbara, too. The spark was instantaneous; she felt it after the Arkham breakout once they got everyone to the penthouse. Sure, Barbara looked at the Theo, didn’t everyone? Didn’t they always? All his promise and influence? But Barbara _wanted her._

Barbara said _they_ were gonna make their mark on Gotham. _They_ were gonna build something. _Together. The two of them_ —at least until Barbara chose _herself_ over _them_.

It wasn’t anything that happened overnight. It was very subtle, by degrees… _slowly_ … bit by bit. Tabitha should have seen it coming sooner, but she had no reason to question Barbara before then.

_Barbara had her reasons. Barbara had a plan. They just needed to stick to Barbara's plan and it’d all work out._  
  
Her big broken teddy bear—whom she “unbroke” from Zsasz was the first one to see it. When Butch tried to tell her, she wouldn’t hear of it. He just didn’t _know_ Barbara the way _she_ did. He didn’t _know_ what Barbara was _really_ like.

_Guess he really did._

_Butch_ went with her to the hospital after Nygma took her fucking hand.

_Butch_  didn't seal anything with a kiss, but he loved her and proved it time and time again with  _everything_  he did.

_Butch_ would follow her to the ends of the earth, happily laying down his life for hers and _did,_ protecting her up until the very end— _not_ _Barbara._

_Barbara_ made all those empty fucking promises.

_Barbara_ said they were gonna run Gotham— _together._

_Barbara said_ she loved her and kissed her and worshipped her and _fucked_ _her…_

Only to _really_ fuck her.

[ Tabitha thinks back to finding Butch’s hand in the small case. She can still hear Barbara’s voice. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPcMAUhIhMw)

_“Was killing Nygma really that important to you?”_

_“Did you kill Butch?”_

_“He said you didn’t have anything to do with him trying to kill me. Is that true?”_

_“What does it matter?”_

_“Alright. For argument’s sake, let’s say I haven’t been the best friend. Do you think we could put this behind us and move forward?”_

_“Did you kill Butch?”_

_“That doesn’t sound like a ‘yes’.”_

_“I need to know. It’s the only way we’ll be able to move forward.”_

_“Yes. I killed him. But it’s not like you gave me a choice.”_

_“There’s always a choice.”_

She can still see Barbara’s lifeless body and smell the lingering stench of the electrocution.

_“Now we can move forward.”_

The sound of her next door neighbors fighting and the ones upstairs fucking brings Tabitha back to herself. She rubs her eyes and sniffs before rolling to a side in her small, uncomfortable bed. As Tabby covers her ears with her pillow, she can’t help but wonder how different her life would be if she’d just left with Butch when he asked.

 

—> <—

The next day, Barbara’s in a conspicuously good mood when she saunters into the boutique. She greets her business partners with a low, throaty purr.

“Hello, ladies.”

Tabitha responds with clenched teeth and an eye roll. Selina glances at Tabitha before casually responding.  
  
“Hey.”

Barbara does her best to ignore her ex’s body language as she addresses the women.

“Our shipment’s coming in this afternoon. We’ll need to pick it up and prepare for tonight’s transport.”  
  
Tabitha responds, embittered.

“Don’t you mean Selina and me? You _never_ pick up shipments, Barbara. God forbid you actually do any heavy lifting and risk ruining one of your precious Ferragamos or split a nail. Oh, wait. Does this mean you’re _actually_ gonna go with us today and do some _real_ work?”  
  
Barbara presses her lips together before answering. She works to keep from letting on how much the remark gets to her.

“Tabitha, _you’re_ the one with the contacts at the docks.”

“Umm _hello,_  Barbara! Because I actually _go_ to the docks and _work_ while you sit here and…” She rolls her eyes as she makes air quotes with the first two fingers of both hands. “... _meet with clients_.”  
  
“Tabitha, I _am_ the proprietor of this business.”  
  
Galavan crosses her arms and grumbles, working her neck.

“Uh huh. The business proprietor who can’t actually _run_ her business without pawning off the grunt work on everybody else.”

“You know there’s no way I can successfully run the boutique without you and Selina. You‘re the only two I trust. The only two I can count on. Tabitha, I don’t know what else I can do to convince you I really _am_ sorr—”

Galavan shakes her head and holds up a hand, cutting her off.

“I thought _we_ were running this business, Barbara! Isn’t _that_ what you said _we_ were gonna do?! The _three_ of us? _Together?!_ Just _save it,_ Barbara! I don’t care! _We don’t—_ ”

Tabitha turns to Selina and blinks in surprise when she discovers the young woman is no longer standing beside her. She crinkles a brow and huffs, her ponytail swinging behind her. She shakes her head and turns away from Barbara, sarcastically addressing her over a shoulder as she strides out.

“Don’t worry. Everything’ll be ready for tonight’s delivery _—no thanks to you_.”

Barbara presses her lips together and looks down at the sound of Tabitha’s quickly fading footfalls.

 

—>l<—

Back in The Narrows, Lee finishes up with a patient, explaining the prescription she just wrote for a sick child to his mother. Just as she excuses them from her examination room, she hears an officer speaking to dispatch outside in the hallway. Her dread rises as she opens the door. 

After the mother and small boy leave, she finds Detective Alvarez talking to two uniformed officers and a young woman. Her simultaneous relief and disappointment when she confirms it’s not Jim surprises her. The detective turns at the sound of the open door. It takes him a moment to realize who she is. He blinks in surprise. The man strides up to her and extends his hand, shaking his head and stretching a warm smile.

“Dr. Thompkins. I had _no idea_ you were out here. I thought you left after…”  
  
The man shifts uncomfortably and briefly looks down. He puffs out a sad sigh and smiles.  
  
“It’s _good_ to see you.”  
  
Lee immediately pictures Jim with his freshly fired service pistol and Mario’s fresh corpse. Her brow knits in response to the pang in her chest. She takes a deep breath and presses her lips together, before stiffly nodding back.

“It’s good to see you too, Carlos. You’re looking well. What can I do for you?”

Alvarez looks down nervously before discreetly nodding back at the young woman behind him in the hallway with the unies. She has a black eye, a busted mouth and bruising on her arms. He leans in, quietly addressing her out of earshot from the woman.

“Look, we got called out here for a domestic. It went badly. _Very_ badly. Her boyfriend had open warrants. Things quickly escalated and he killed himself. She’s lucky he didn’t kill her. We’ve already questioned her and a witness—the woman’s older neighbor. Look, she doesn’t appear to be seriously injured, but… she really _should_ get checked out and she refused an ambulance.”

Lee soberly nods.

“Of course.”

Before the detective takes his leave, he smiles and says, “Things aren’t the same without you at the precinct. We'd love to have you back, but…” He tilts his head and shrugs before shaking it. “I guess The Narrows is the _one_ place that needs you even more than _we_ do. It’s really good to see you again, Dr. Thompkins. Take care.”

—

Lee tends to the battered woman after Alvarez and the unies leave. It’s evident by the woman’s bruising she has a long history of regular abuse. Lee gently asks the woman questions and assesses the extent of her injuries. She fires off a quick text to a colleague who provides counseling and accepts public assistance—hoping she might be available to provide the woman much-needed help.

Afterwards, Lee dismisses the woman, relieved to find an older woman waiting outside for her in the hallway. Lee stands in the doorway, watching the battered woman’s gaze and voice grow distant as she talks to her waiting friend about her dead boyfriend. The older woman smiles sadly, wraps an arm around her and rubs it before guiding her outside.

Lee closes her exam room door and writes up her notes. As she does, her mind drifts to the time she sat on Barbara’s sofa, providing her trauma counseling after Jason Lennon (commonly known as “Ogre”) abducted her.

_“I feel like this is all a dream. I’m gonna wake up soon.”_

_“Barbara… you were abducted… your parents were killed in front of you.”_

_“Jason saw right through me. He knew me instantly. Like I was naked. Scary. But thrilling…”_

Lee recalls the way Barbara looked: haunted… wounded… _fragile_ —right until she _didn’t_ anymore.

She remembers the moment she realized Barbara was gripping a knife in her hand on the other side of the table. Her breathing accelerates as recalls racing to lock herself into the bathroom, making preparations for Barbara to break through the door. Her fingers twitch with the memory of holding the broken mirror shard wrapped in that hand towel.

She remembers struggling and fighting with Barbara…

The flash of Barbara’s eyes and teeth…

The weight of Barbara’s body…

The feel of Barbara's hair tangled in her fingers…

The sounds of Barbara’s heavy breathing…

The hot puffs of Barbara’s breath…

The way it felt to slam Barbara’s head against the floor over and over and over again…

She's _never_ felt so fucking alive…

When Lee feels the heat flash between her legs, she softly shudders.

She quietly gasps and her eyes widen when she  _finally_   realizes it was the very first time she felt _that thing._

 

—> **S** <—

The Sirens wait at the drop site in the warehouse district with the merchandise. As promised, Belsky (the Sirens’ previous night’s customer) sends his nephew, Nikolai, from National City to take point on the exchange.  When “Nicky” shows up with some of Belsky’s men, Barbara raises a brow at the young man’s bleached hair, his bone-colored linen suit _(with pleats),_ pastel boat neck shirt and lightweight canvas slip-ons with no socks. She leans to the side and whispers to her business partners.

“Crockett and Tubbs called from the ‘80s. They want their clothes back.”

Selina stifles a chortle. When Tabitha smiles in spite of herself, Barbara smirks with self-satisfaction.

As the men gather and load their merchandise, Nicky chats with the Sirens about their munitions boutique. The young man slides a hand in his pocket and leans to one side, shaking his head and chuckling.

“Ms. Kean, you ladies must have _really_ impressed my uncle. The man usually finds fault with _everything,_  but when he returned last night, he didn’t have a _single_ complaint. Not one! When I asked him about you and your business, all he could do was grunt!”

The exchange between Sirens and “Miami Vice” goes without a single hitch. All in all, Nicky is definitely preferable to his uncle, but it’s painfully obvious the young man has absolutely no idea how things in Gotham work—or how one dresses.

The Sirens successfully provide Belsky’s purchased weapons and leave Nicky with a handshake. As they prepare to exit the warehouse and meet with their next customers, Nicky stops them.

“Ladies, our men can’t stop talking about your boutique. I confess, I’m dying to see it. I’ve also been thinking about picking up something nice for my girlfriend, but I don’t know what to get her—you know, a little _extra_ insurance now that we’re in Gotham? Would you be willing to help me out? Do you, by chance, have any openings sometime this week?

Barbara stretches a smile and purrs.

“Nicky, we’re _always_ happy to make time for our customers. I think we can pencil you in later this week. How ‘bout I give you a ring after we get back and I take a look at our schedule?”

Nicky stretches a wide smile and claps his hands together, rubbing them with delight.

“I look forward to it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who don’t remember, my favorite assassin and spirit animal, Victor Zsasz, crashed Tabitha and Selina's digs in 4x01. Babitha’s battle royal happened in 3x22 and, in case any of you forgot, Thompkeans had their first roll in the hay—I mean, “fight” in 1x22.
> 
> Oh, and another thing: I'm a Gen-Xer (and an _older_ one at that—probably like most of your parents). If ya wanna know what was happening when I was coming up, take a peek at Atomic Blonde, if you haven't already. That's kinda why I used the whole "Miami Vice" reference. It _just_ occurred to me a lotta you might not even get that crack but... *shrugs*... "I'm SICK O' YOU KIDS! GET OFF MY LAWN!"
> 
> Okay, all joking aside. Y'all know the drill. I have no one reading this sh!te before I post, so gimme a shout if you see anything requiring my attention, especially now. My partner and I've gotta lotta unexpected sh!t going on right now and my attention is really divided. A lotta things may be passing beneath my radar.
> 
> Last but not least, thank you kindly for the read. Cross your fingers I can finish this tale soon, y'all. I'm gonna need all the help I can get with everything I got cookin' right now.


	4. A Little Snag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little mishap at the Sirens' munitions boutique prompts Barbara to call in a favor sooner than she thought.

—> <—

Lee takes another quick glance at the text she received from Barbara less than a half hour ago:

 

_“Need that favor sooner than I thought._

_Hit a little snag here at the boutique_

_ & need a quick patch-up stitch asap.” _

 

She double checks the address, snaps her phone shut and stuffs it in a pocket before grabbing her medical kit and reaching for the car door handle. She stops when she feels Edward’s hand on her forearm.

“Lee, are you sure you really want to do this? Last time, you were on neutral territory. You’re walking right onto her turf this time—with Selina _and Tabitha._ I’d feel a lot better if I went in with you.”

Lee suddenly recalls Barbara’s crack at the Foxglove that Ed couldn’t accept she was capable of handling herself and grits her teeth.

“Ed. We’ve _already_ talked about this. I need you in The Narrows. Grundy can’t run things by himself. It’s just for a couple of hours.”

He snorts out a frustrated huff and acquiesces, his voice pinched.

“Fine. I’ll be here in _exactly_ two hours.”

Lee exits the car and strides up to the entrance. Just as she arrives at the threshold, the door opens. Selina Kyle peeks out from behind it and casually nods her in.

“Oh, hey.”

Lee takes a quick glance back at Ed, who warily watches on from the car. He reluctantly drives away after Lee nods him off with “the look”.

Selina closes the door behind them and walks her through the boutique. Lee raises a brow at the classic, stately surroundings and the numerous merchandised weapons as she follows behind the teen.

“They’re over this way.”

Selina nonchalantly walks her down a corridor and up to a door that opens into a small shooting range. Just beyond the entrance, she hears Tabitha Galavan shout out over a man’s pained moans.

“Oh, wait! Found it!” After a brief silence, she adds. “Well, what’s _left_ of it anyway.”

Lee walks into the area and finds Barbara squatting beside an agonized man, holding his foot in a bloody hand towel. She rushes up and blurts out as she quickly squats to assist.

“What happened?”

Barbara works hard to exercise some measure of decorum, but her forced smile and clenched teeth give her away.

“Oh, just a minor mishap with some of the merchandise.”

Tabitha huffs.

“Oh _please,_ Barbara! She’s a _doctor,_ not a _lawyer!_ Just _tell_ her!”

Lee watches as Barbara retracts her facial muscles and presses her lips together, briefly looking away. The doctor crinkles a brow before looking up at the leathered Galavan, who is leaning to one side with a hand planted on her hip. She wiggles the remainder of what was once a little toe in her other hand, casually nodding toward a forgotten firearm.

“Oh, National City here was lookin’ at that Sig Sauer P938 Rose Gold for his girlfriend—but gotta little too excited _and careless_ when Selina told him his man-crush only carries Sigs.”

Tabitha shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

“Victor Zsasz is cocky _enough_ about his marksmanship. If word gets out he managed to shoot off a guy’s little toe without even being within a mile of him…”

Barbara gently but firmly interrupts.

“Tabitha, I think you’ve _quite_ made your point—”

Her ex snarls back.

“Oh. Sorry I forgot my 'place', _Barbara!_ Lemme go find some grunt work to do while you two…” She sneers at Lee, “…play _‘doctor’_.”

Tabitha grabs the forgotten merchandise and stomps off. After a few steps, she stops and returns with the man's mangled toe. She squats between the two women and leans over to the guy as she wiggles it at him, her grin wide and wolfish.

“Oh wait. Before I go, you didn’t need _this_ for anything, did you?”

—

There was no saving Nicky’s toe. Lee patches the man up to the best of her ability and makes an appointment to follow-up with him the next day given the limitations of available equipment and the high risk of infection.

Lee watches as Selina and Tabitha escort the man out the front door so they can return him to his uncle. Tabitha _insists_ on taking the toe with them. She wraps Nicky's arm over her shoulder and helps him hop outside. Tabitha grins at him like a Cheshire cat as she jiggles an aromatherapy jar now storing his little toe.

“You know. For good luck?”

Lee puffs out a quiet, incredulous snort and shakes her head in disbelief at the spectacle, saying more to herself than to Barbara (who just finished pouring them two single malt scotches).

“I can’t believe he actually _bought_ that thing for his girlfriend after everything that happened.”  
  
Barbara saunters up to the brunette and hands her a drink.

“ _And_ the discreet thigh holster to boot!”

The blonde winks before she clinks their glasses together. She swirls her whisky and takes a long, appreciative swallow before turning back to the brunette and winking.

“Well, the man _did_ get a one-of-a-kind product demonstration, didn't he?”

Lee shakes her head and laughs out loud before she can stop herself. Barbara’s lips slightly part as she appreciatively watches and listens to Lee’s laughter. She’s dying to see and hear more. She arches a brow and smiles suggestively.

“...Not to mention one _hell of a_ concierge doctor.”

Barbara emits a low, throaty snicker and nudges the doctor, her eyes twinkling. Lee stops a moment and tries to ignore the fleeting touch of her arm (despite how badly she yearns to feel it again).

Lee’s grip tightens around her crystal tumbler and she takes several long swallows before looking back at the woman. She’s been preoccupied with thoughts of Barbara ever since that night at the Foxglove, not to mention the connection she made a few short days ago about that _that thing._ She clears her throat and looks around.

“You’ve gotta nice set-up here.”

Barbara glances down at Lee’s almost-finished scotch. The blonde takes another sip of single malt, before taking the woman’s glass. She walks Lee over to the bar to pour her another.

“Well thanks, Doc. I suppose I should probably ‘show you mine’.”  
  
She hands Lee the tumbler and leans in close, arching a brow.

“After all, you _did_ ‘show me _yours’_.”

Lee follows behind Barbara as she proudly shows off the boutique’s inventory, easily slipping into the spiel she’s given numerous times judging by her perfectly-timed gestures: the wide smiles and flirty head tilts, the hair tuck behind the ear, her swiveling hips and winks. The transparency of the well-rehearsed performance prompts Lee to smile into her crystal tumbler.

Barbara lays it on thick when she notices Lee’s upturned mouth but soon notices Lee’s attention drifting to some of the pieces in the boutique. Kean arches a brow and happily abandons the merch to show off some of her favorite paintings, ceramics, textiles and sculptures. She walks Lee around, eagerly explaining their history and cultural significance. She discusses the stories behind them, the artists who created them and how she acquired them.

Lee watches on, completely fascinated by _this_ unknown facet of Barbara. She finds herself impressed by the woman’s extensive knowledge of and clear passion for the arts. Before long, Kean walks her down a darker separate corridor from the shooting range and up to a closed door. After opening it, she casually flips on a light and saunters inside.

“And here’s _my_ little corner away from it all.”

She turns to Lee and waves her in, her grin wide.

“Step into my parlor.”

Lee tilts her head and arches a brow.

“Said the spider to the fly?”

Barbara glances down at Lee’s peep-toed feet lingering in the doorway, before peering back up with a mischievously scrunched-up nose.

“Aren’t you just _dying_ to find out?”  
  
Barbara glances down at Lee’s empty tumbler. She saunters up to the brunette and takes the crystal glass from her hand, making a point to caress it with her fingertips. The blonde finishes off her single malt as she walks their drinks to her private bar. Lee eyes the chic décor and she steps inside. She walks up beside Barbara and covers the mouth of her tumbler with a hand before the woman can pour her another.

“I’m good, Barbara. Thank you.”  
  
Kean coquettishly counters.

“Oh, c’mon Doc. You’ve only had a couple. What’s _one_ more gonna hurt?”

She winks and reaches for Lee’s tumbler. Lee takes hold of Barbara’s wrist to stop her.

“I’m good. Thanks.”

Kean arches a brow and smirks before taking another pass at the woman’s tumbler. Lee clamps down harder and snarls, her eyes flashing.

“ _No._ _**Thank** you, _ Barbara.”

The blonde quietly gasps and looks down at her wrist in the surprising grip of Lee’s hand, before peering back at the woman through the hair now spilled in her face. Barbara slowly stretches a lopsided grin and her eyes widen with wicked delight.

Lee’s body flushes with heat when she sees _that_ Barbara again.

She suddenly feels _that thing_ again.

Lee reaches for Barbara’s hair and tangles her fingers into it. The moment she hears Barbara’s appreciative groan, she yanks the blonde closer.

Barbara quickly reaches for Lee’s neck and forces her in close, crushing her mouth to the woman’s. She opens wide and pushes her tongue into Lee’s, moaning into that hungry mouth permeated with the familiar bouquet of her favorite top shelf. Barbara rapidly rotates the wrist in Lee’s grip, instantly freeing herself. She grabs Lee’s wrist and steers her back, bumping the taller woman into the wet bar. The bottles and crystal glasses clink in response.

Barbara wedges a leg between Lee’s until it's pressed flush between the woman's legs. She releases Lee’s wrist and growls as she impatiently claws at her trembling body. Kean immediately begins unbuttoning her blouse.

Lee gasps in surprise before whimpering and luxuriating in Barbara’s demanding mouth. She moans when the woman breaks free from her grip and decisively closes in, pinning her against the bar. The moment Lee bumps against it, she pulls herself from Barbara’s mouth and tilts her head back, exposing her neck. Her chest heaves with anticipation as the woman’s well-practiced fingers make quick work of her buttons.

Lee’s nipples harden in response and her body erupts in gooseflesh as Barbara’s teeth nip at her jaw and tongue flicks at her neck. She grasps onto the edge of the wet bar and immediately begins grinding against the woman's strategically-placed leg, growing wetter with each passing second.

Barbara has already yanked her unbuttoned blouse from her trousers and is already reaching inside it, running the palm of her outstretched hand up her quivering abdominals, past her ribcage and tracing the curve beneath her breasts with her thumbs before taking them into both hands.

She rubs and squeezes them through her black demi cup bra before scissoring the tiny peaks between her first two fingers. Barbara slowly lifts and deliberately prods her thigh further between Lee’s legs, encouraging the woman to grind more firmly against it. Barbara purrs with approval and her breathing grows heavier with Lee’s demanding gyrations. Her lips part, revealing her clenched teeth. She huskily remarks up to Lee.

“You’re _wet_. I can _smell_ you.”

Lee moans and grinds harder. A breathy reply spills from her lips before she can stop herself.

“Yes.”

Barbara purrs in response.

“I _knew_ it.”

The blonde prods her thigh further between Lee’s legs before slowly slipping it out. Lee continues grinding against it, chasing the delicious friction until she can’t any longer. She huffs with frustration, her hips still undulating and her nether mouth hungry. The blonde pouts and shakes her head, tsking.

“ _Patience,_ Dr. Thompkins.”

Barbara lowers herself and her mouth and begins teasing Lee’s nipples with her teeth, before unfastening the front closure of her bra. The woman gasps when her breasts tumble from it into Barbara’s waiting hands and mouth. Lee’s chest heaves with the sensation of Barbara’s greedy hands on her exposed breasts.

She looks down at the ravenous woman through lidded eyes, watching breathlessly as Barbara teases her breasts with her tongue, licking beneath and between them before taking her nipples between her front teeth, alternately biting and hungrily sucking before popping them from her mouth. Barbara flicks the soft underside of her tongue against them, studying them with rapt attention and worshipping every tiny nub on them.

Kean lowers her hands, dragging them down either side of Lee’s body, past her hips and thighs, briefly sweeping her flexed calves. She descends to her knees and rests her haunches against her stilettoed heels as she slowly drags her hands up Lee’s legs, eventually reaching between them. She presses the butt of her hand against Lee’s heat and slowly rubs, gazing up into her dark eyes.

“I want you in my mouth.”

Lee’s breath catches in her throat. Kean smirks at her rubbing hand and the increasing tempo of the woman’s grinding hips, before peering back up to licentiously reply.

“I take it that’s a _‘yes’?_ ”

Lee nods. Barbara teases in a sing-song voice.

“Sorry, Doc. Couldn’t hear ya. Cat got your tongue?”

Lee huskily growls.

“Take me in your mouth.”  
  
Barbara appreciatively replies.

“ _That’s_ better. See, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

Barbara continues rubbing between Lee’s legs as she unfastens Lee’s trousers with her free hand, soon smiling and reaching for Lee’s waistband with both. She drags down the woman’s pants, raking her eyes over every square inch she unveils. She eventually releases the garment, letting them fall to the woman’s ankles in a heap.

Barbara watches Lee step out of them and groans when she catches a glimpse between her legs. She impatiently grabs one of Lee’s thighs and growls.

“Turn around.”

Lee swallows and takes a ragged breath before she complies. She hears Barbara’s appreciative moan the moment she turns her back to the woman and her body jerks when she feels Barbara’s hands on her hips. She closes her eyes as the woman takes her ass into her hands and drags her thumbs along it, tracing its curves before sweeping downward, past her thighs to her calves. She sputters and twitches at the sensation of Barbara’s tongue flicking behind one knee, then sucking at the other. She feels a surge of moisture between her legs when Barbara playfully nips at a calf.

Lee feels Barbara slowly inch her hands back up her bare thighs. She can tell how close the woman's mouth is by the hot puffs of breath against her skin. Lee thrusts her ass outward, offering herself.

Barbara licks her lips and groans in response. She nudges her face up into Lee’s ass and begins nipping and biting along the pert cheeks peeking beneath the woman’s black panties. She deeply inhales Lee’s heady scent.

“Mmm… you smell _so_ good.”

Barbara flicks her tongue between Lee’s legs and laps at the crotch of her panties, occasionally licking beyond its border and along the innermost part of her groin. Lee pushes out further to meet Barbara’s mouth. When Lee tries to look over a shoulder at the woman behind her, she catches a glimpse of herself and Barbara in a full length mirror. She bites her lower lip and offers herself even more, growing hotter and hungrier by the second. Lee watches herself as she gyrates backward to meet Barbara’s mouth. She groans as she watches Barbara’s fingers reach for her waistband to pull her panties down past her ass and her thighs.

Lee steps out of one leg once the woman gets them past her knees, spreading her legs wider and sticking her ass out further for Barbara, holding on to either side of wet bar and still gazing into the mirror. She shudders and moans when she spies the blonde closing in, finally crying out the instant she feels the Barbara’s hand on a hip and mouth nudging between her legs before finally slipping her tongue inside. She tightly grasps at the wet bar.

“Barbara... _Fuck_.”

Barbara nudges her face even further into her and flicks her tongue against Lee’s clitoris. Lee sweeps her eyes down the mirror and can see Barbara touching herself inside her unfastened silk suit trousers. Her eyes eventually drift to the open door and widen in surprise to see Tabitha silently watching just outside it. Despite the unexpected audience, Lee continues chasing the decadent sensation of Barbara’s mouth before finally addressing the woman with a low, husky plea.

“I want to watch you.”  
  
Barbara’s chuckle is low and throaty. She pulls back and takes Lee by the hips, maneuvering the woman to face her. The blonde moans up at the spectacular sight of an unveiled Lee Thompkins, nipples pointing upward, color spreading on her cheeks with legs spread wide—quivering and waiting and slick inside. She slowly shakes her head and narrows her eyes as she gazes up at Lee and all those delicious curves.

“You are _exquisite_.”

Barbara slowly approaches and nudges her mouth between the woman’s legs. She takes a long, painstaking lick as deep inside that luscious snatch as she can before teasing at her clitoris.

Lee leans back against the wet bar, clamping her hands onto either side of it. She begins grinding against Barbara’s mouth as Tabitha watches on. Lee’s eyes dart between her audience and the hungry woman kneeling before her, diligently licking, sucking and lapping at her. Lee’s gyrations grow faster and more impatient as Barbara’s ministrations grow more urgent.

Barbara relishes in Lee’s responsiveness, taking abundant pleasure in the famously dignified Dr. Thompkins wantonly offering herself and grinding against her face. Barbara begins rubbing herself harder, moaning at the decadent wetness at her mouth and beneath impatient fingers. Barbara’s rhythm grows more urgent and frantic and her groans even louder, lapping voraciously at the woman standing above her.

Lee finds her hips getting away from her. Her muscles grow increasingly taught. She begins feeling desperate— _frenzied._ Soon, Lee feels that inevitable flash of heat surging throughout her body. She gasps.

“Barbara…”

She keeps her eyes locked on Galavan as her thighs and abdominals tighten, until all the muscles in her body grow taut before that inevitable flash and quiver.

She hears and feels Barbara’s muffled moan between her legs. Lee looks down and watches as the blonde goes rigid and gradually relaxes, before taking one more long, appreciative lick between her legs. Kean slowly pulls back, her chin wet and grin wide with satisfaction.

Lee glances back to the doorway just in time to watch Tabitha retreat back into the shadows.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohy. FINALLY. 
> 
> This fic’s been profoundly frustrating to me for some reason. I just haven’t been in the right headspace and it’s been vexing me. 
> 
> _*Jessica titters at the mention of “head” because she’s a complete child.*_
> 
> Seriously though, I’ve been having the _absolute worst_ time trying to write this thing and a terrible case of writer’s block. I was starting to worry I was incapable of doing anything alone anymore. (It seems the only thing I’ve managed to do with any degree of competence for the past several months are epic sausage fests with my fanfic wifey, Filthycasual.) 
> 
> Anyway, it was a relief to finally manage to get this far. *WHEW* Here’s hoping it didn’t blow too hard (in a _bad_ way, anyway). Oh, wait. This is the easy part though, isn't it? The fun part? This is the sh!t that doesn't really require any high-level thinking... just... uh... "doing".
> 
> Oh wait. Yeah. Remember, no one's reading my stuff but me before I post it. Please holler at me if I need to fix stuff. (Nothing worse than being distracted by annoying misspelling and poor punctuation when you're in the middle of... well, _you know._ )


	5. Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Selina makes Tabitha face some uncomfortable truths. 
> 
> Tabitha and Barbara finally reach an understanding.

—>t<—

Tabitha and Selina return to the boutique after successfully leaving Nicky with his uncle. Tabby turns to address the teen as they walk up.

“Hey, you did a really good job tonight.”  
  
Selina looks back at Tabitha.

“What d’ya mean?”

Galavan playfully bumps her shoulder, grinning wide.

“You know, going ‘toe to toe’ with the big guys.”

Tabitha wiggles Nicky’s pickled toe in Selina’s face. Kyle cringes and turns away, punching Galavan in the arm.

“You’re _so gross,_ Tabitha! You’ve been doing that all night! _Please stop!_ ”

The woman feigns hurt. She rests a hand on her chest and ribs Selina again.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I…”  
  
Selina shakes her head, her eyes wide with warning.

“ _Don’t do it,_ Tabitha!”

Tabby stretches another wry smile.

“Step on your _toe?_ ”

“Tabitha!!!”

The teen groans, trying hard not to show how much she’s enjoying herself. Selina rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Galavan wraps her arm around Kyle and bumps her hip.  
  
“Alright, alright!Just havin' a little fun.” She puffs out a small snort before her voice grows softer— _warmer_. “Seriously, Selina. You really did a great job tonight. You handled yourself well. You really impressed those guys back there. Wanna grab some pizza after we get out of here?”

Kyle smiles in spite of herself.

“Sure.”

Tabitha grins back.

“And some _real_ ice cream already!”

Selina puffs out a quiet chuckle and nods in agreement.

“Yeah. Okay.”

As the duo walks through the door, Tabitha notices Selina’s body language grow stiff and wary. She watches as the teen thoroughly scans the room before glancing back at her. Tabitha knits her brow and appraises the boutique. Her jaw clenches in response to all the merchandise still left out after Nicky’s visit. She huffs and angrily begins putting things away, grumbling to herself.

“Damn it, Barbara. You send us out to babysit and chauffeur and you can’t even _clean up_ in here!”

Selina chimes in with mild unease.

“It’s _okay._ I got it.”

She deftly assists with closing up the boutique, scrunching her mouth to one side as her eyes dart nervously around the room. Tabitha arches a brow at her after sliding a display drawer shut.

“What _is it,_ Selina? Don’t tell me. You just remembered you’ve got ‘stuff’ ya gotta do.”

The girl crinkles a brow and looks down, shaking her head.

“ _No._ Let’s just clean up and get _outta_ here.”

Tabitha approaches, her tone stern.

“Selina, what’s going on?”  
  
The teen avoids her gaze.

 _“Nothin’.”_  
  
“Selina. _Look_ at me. I’m serious.”

The young woman puffs out an exasperated sigh.

“It’s just that…” Selina shifts her weight to one leg, looks up and rolls her eyes. “I _hate_ being around you two when you fight.”  
  
Tabitha scrunches up her face and defensively replies.

“Selina, we don’t really fight _that_ much—”

The teen’s eyes grow wide with disbelief. She plants a hand on her hip and works her neck.

“Uh… _yeah! You do!_ Look, I know you two broke up and everything, but…”

“Selina, that’s really not anything you should be worrying—.”  
  
“Except _yeah,_ Tabitha. _It is._ We’re all partners, aren’t we? This is _our_ business, right? You’re _always_ fighting with her. Nobody wants to see that. It’s a bummer. You even do it in front of the customers. Look, we have a _really_ nice place here. What if people stop coming here and go someplace else?” Selina sighs with exasperation. “I know you aren’t together anymore but… can’t you two work it out? At least just be friends? For the boutique? You’re better together. We _all_ are.”

Tabitha looks down, somewhat dismayed. She chews on a lower lip before replying.

“I’m sorry, Selina. I didn’t realize…”

“Just forget it. Let’s just finish up here and go. _Please?_ ”

Tabitha acquiesces.

“Okay.”  
  
After finishing up with the last of the display cases, Tabitha turns to Selina.

“Say, did you wanna go to Frankie’s for pizz…”

Selina shakes her head and walks out, replying over a shoulder.

“Nah. Go ahead. I’m not hungry. I’ll see ya later.”

Tabitha deflates as Selina walks away. She finishes up a few remaining odds and ends. After turning off the display case lights, she notices a light filtering down the hall that leads to Barbara’s little studio.

_She’s still here? I thought she left already._

She looks down and ruminates over Selina’s words, recalling how she snapped at Barbara before and after Belsky’s munitions purchase and popping off to her in front of Nicky earlier in the evening. Before long, she remembers numerous other instances where she picked fights with her ex in front of Selina, weapons distributors and customers.

_Fuck. She’s right. Just suck it up and apologize, Tabitha. At least do it for Selina._

She puffs out in frustration, shaking her head and rolling her eyes before reluctantly heading down the corridor. On the way, her brow crinkles at the sound of activity in Barbara’s room. She tilts her head around the doorway and stops at the sight of her ex on her knees behind Lee Thompkins, stripped down to her black panties and grasping onto Barbara’s wet bar.

She watches as Barbara worships at Lee’s altar, unfastening her trousers and slipping her hand into them. She studies the rhythmic, circular motion of Barbara’s shoulder as she masturbates and watches her hips gyrate as she grinds into her busy hand, hungrily lapping between Lee’s legs. Tabitha’s body stirs with desire and jealousy in equal measure.

After Barbara pulls down Lee’s panties and nudges her mouth to the woman’s offered quim, her blood quickens and snatch twitches at the memory of her ex’s tongue between her legs.

Tabitha’s eyes slowly drift around Lee’s body, her flexing calves and narrow waist, her twitching thighs and strong back, the architecture of her shoulder blade, somewhat obscured by her long raven hair. At that moment, she locks eyes with Thompkins—now looking over a shoulder.

The doctor’s eyes and mouth widen with surprise, but only for a moment. It isn’t long before her lids droop again with Barbara’s eager ministrations. She watches Lee offer more of herself before turning to face Barbara, fully aware she’s being watched and clearly ~~unable~~ _unwilling?_ to stop herself.  

Tabitha continues watching. She appraises every bit of Lee’s body, watching the creeping flush descend from her cheeks, to her neck and beyond, the rise and fall of her quickening breaths, her quivering breasts and rock hard nipples. She watches Lee’s muscles grow taut as she grinds against Barbara’s face… the way she tenses… flexes… and shudders with her orgasm, white-knuckled and slack-jawed, eyes rolled upward and head tossed back.

The way she looks when she says Barbara’s name.

She can tell Barbara’s orgasming too. It doesn’t matter that she’s fully clothed. She _intimately_ knows Barbara’s tells… how hot and slick and wet she gets… the way she sounds and quakes when she comes… how her deepest muscles clench and quiver… how hard they bear down before the inevitable warm slick between her legs.

Tabitha takes a breath, before turning around and slowly making her way back up the corridor.

 

—> <—

Barbara walks Lee back up the hall into the boutique.

“You sure I can’t call you a cab?”

Lee looks back and shakes her head.

“No, Barbara. Thank you. I already have a ride.”

As Barbara rounds the corner, she notices the shop’s already closed up and absently comments to herself.

“Shit. Tabby must’ve gotten back already and closed up everything.”

Lee responds with hesitance.

“Yeah, I uh… think she did.”  
  
Barbara quizzically looks back.

“You saw her?”

Lee clears her throat and nods nervously.

“Yeah. _Earlier._ ”

“When?”  
  
Lee glances in the direction of Barbara’s room. The blonde replies with widened eyes and a measured, knowing nod.

“ _Oh._ Well… I didn’t _think_ it was possible for her to be any angrier with me, but… I guess I’ll find out soon enough.”

Barbara attempts at a joke, but it comes out sadder than she intends.

“The worst she can do is _kill_ me—but she’s already done that before.”

Lee softens at the sight of Barbara’s distant, welling eyes and the faraway sound of her voice.

“You still love her.”

Barbara looks away and swallows. She presses her eyes and lips shut before stiffly nodding.

Lee puffs out a sad sigh and replies with a sympathetic nod.

"I get it. _Believe me._ "

Kean sniffs and blinks, before forcing a smile and returning her gaze. She reaches for Lee’s forearm and guides her to the front door.

“Well, I’d take you back home but… seeing how it is you’re perfectly capable of handling herself, I suppose there’s no point in offering now, is there?”

Lee puffs out a quiet chuckle and shakes her head.

“No. I suppose not.”

“Of course. Hey, uh… feel free to give me a ring if you ever need anything…”  Barbara shrugs. “...or 'just because'.”

Lee nods and blushes a little.

“Sure. Okay.”  
  
Barbara bites her lower lip and scrunches up her nose as she opens the front door, her eyes twinkling.

“Who knows? Maybe we can even start a support group for the exes of Jim Gordon.”  
  
Lee laughs before she can stop herself. She giggles through her reply, shaking her head.

“I dunno, Barbara. I’m not really big on the idea of being in a club with _Penguin_.”

Kean loudly cackles.

“Oh god, right?! _What a bitch!_ Oh wait! Maybe we won’t have to. Let’s face it. Oswald’s the _one_ person Jim will probably _never_ break up with!”

When the women finally turn to look outside the opened door, they find a perplexed Edward Nygma standing at the threshold preparing to ring the buzzer.

The women erupt into another fit of laughter.

 

—> <—

Later, Barbara returns to her apartment and grabs a mineral water. She takes several long swallows before sauntering to her bedroom. She sets the bottle on her vanity and leans against it while raising a leg back behind her. Just as she reaches to remove her stiletto, she hears an all-too-familiar voice.

“I take it you had fun playing ‘doctor’ tonight.”

She peers into the mirror. Tabitha’s sitting in a chair on the other side of the room with her legs crossed at the knee, casually studying her nails. Barbara sets down her foot, abandoning the effort to remove her shoes and takes off her suit jacket instead. She studies it to ensure she didn’t miss any stains from Belsky’s earlier mishap.  

She walks it into her closet and adds the jacket to her dry cleaning pile. She puffs out an exasperated sigh before replying loudly enough to be heard from the closet.

“I really don’t want to fight right now, Tabitha.”

Barbara peers down at the cuffs of her suit trousers, searching for signs of blood. She startles at the sound of Tabitha’s voice—closer, quieter and _lower_ than expected.

“Who said anything about fighting?”

Barbara can tell by her peripheral vision, her ex is now standing at the doorway of her walk-in closet.

“Maybe I’m here to finish you off.”  
  
“You’ve already tried that once. Remember?”  
  
“Yeah. _I do._ But you _came back._ ”  
  
“Tabitha. It’s been a really long day. Can’t we just do this another time?”  
  
The blonde returns her attention to her trouser cuffs. She bends over, searching for blood spatter. Tabitha walks up closer and arches a brow at the moisture evident in the crotch of her silk trousers.

“I think you’re looking in the wrong place. Looks like she left you in _quite_ the state.”

Galavan moves in closer. Barbara’s blood and pulse quicken.

“Tabitha…”

Barbara gasps at the sensation of Tabitha’s hand slowly rubbing decadent circles at her crotch.

“Looks like I really _am_ gonna have to finish you off.”

Barbara jerks upright and soon finds a hand clenched around her neck. She claws at it, until she sees the flash of Tabitha’s blade in her other hand. She remains breathless, motionless as her ex slowly slips it beneath her camisole and down past the waistband of her trousers. Barbara instinctively shies away from the blade until her body’s flush with Tabitha’s, the woman's breasts pressed firmly into her back. She looks back at Tabitha over a shoulder, eyes wide and chest heaving. Tabitha leans in close to her face.

“I can _smell_ her on you.”

After Tabitha slices Barbara’s trousers past the point of her hips, the garment falls past her knees. Galavan sheathes her blade and begins rubbing Barbara’s breasts through her camisole before slowly reaching downward between her legs.

“She smells sweet. _Ripe._ Like a _peach_. You thought of _him,_ didn’t you? _Fucking_ her. _Licking_ her. Imagining _what he did to her_ when they were together… What _she did to him…_ Wondering if _he_ ever thought of _you_ while he fucked _her_ … Wondering if  _she_ did the _same_ after _she_ met _you_ …”

“Yes.”

Tabitha slips her hand into Barbara’s panties.

“Is _that_ why you did it? Is _that_ why you want her? To be close to _him?_ Or is it _just her_ you want?”

Barbara’s only response is a quiet gasp. Tabitha’s fingertips creep past her pubic hair. She can feel the woman’s cool damp panties glide over her knuckles. She leans in closer and grazes her lips against Barbara’s ear.

“She is _hot._ I give you that.”

Barbara trembles at the sound of her ex’s throaty voice and the sensation of her hot breath in her ear. Tabitha slips her fingers past Barbara’s slick, parting lips.

“But I bet she has _no clue_ how to give the _proper_ fucking _you_ need.”

Barbara groans and grinds to meet Tabitha’s fingers. She impatiently places her hand over Tabitha’s and guides it further between her legs, her breath hitching and body quivering. Galavan takes her blade into her hand again. She slices up the back of Barbara’s camisole, all the while growling into Barbara’s ear.

—

Barbara and Tabitha haphazardly make their way to the bed, their bodies entwined. When they bump into Barbara’s vanity, Tabitha hurriedly yanks open the bottom drawer. Just as she reaches for the leather strap-on harness they had customized so long ago, Barbara stops her, clamping a hand on her wrist.

“ _No,_ Tabby.”

Tabitha peers up past the tousled blonde hair and into those eyes of that gorgeous fucking woman…

The one she wants to claw at, slap and punch…

The one she wants to caress and suck and kiss and bite…

The one who haunts her dreams and drives her to fucking madness…

The one who makes her ache and hurt and yearn and hate and cry and love and…

Barbara’s eyes and voice go soft.

“I just want _you._ ”

—

Tabitha reverently licks and kisses the bright red marks now marring Barbara’s perfect ivory ass. She reaches for her whip, currently binding her ex’s wrists to a poster of her canopy bed. She slowly and methodically unwinds it, all the while gazing down at Barbara, languidly lying before her. Soft. _Spent._

Tabby rubs the marks her whip left behind on Barbara’s wrists, before softly caressing her arms, shoulders and back. She smiles sadly at the contrasting skin color beneath her hands and the soft supple skin she’s missed _far more_ than she realized. She quietly whispers.

“C’mon. Let’s get you to bed.”  
  
Barbara meekly nods and lazily crawls to her favorite side. After tucking Barbara in, Tabitha turns to begin gathering her clothes. Just as she bends to pick them up, she hears Barbara’s soft plea.

“Stay.”

Tabitha stops and swallows. She takes a breath and holds it for a moment before exhaling and returning to bed. She crawls inside and slots herself behind Barbara, holding her close in hopes of soothing the unbearable ache in her heart and body.

She softly maps Barbara’s curves and valleys with her fingers, despite her intimate knowledge of them and sadly smiles when the peak of Barbara's hip eventually catches in the hollow of her hand. She's always loved how perfectly they fit together.

Tabitha soon feels the threat of a rising sob and a tear spills down her face. She works hard to keep her body and her voice from betraying her. 

“This doesn’t mean anything, Barbara.”

Her ex sadly replies with a whisper.

“I know.”

Barbara takes a deep breath, inhaling as much as she can of Tabitha’s scent. When she feels her eyes pooling, she nudges her body back even closer to Tabitha’s. She sighs and her face contorts at how perfectly they _still_ fit together…  the way Tabitha tucks her legs behind hers… how badly she’s missed the warmth and weight of Tabitha’s breasts against her body.

She takes Tabitha's hand from her hip and guides it around her waist, entwining their fingers together and holding them. She softly trembles and voice breaks.

“I love you, Tabitha. I'm sorry.”

Tabitha silently waits for Barbara's body to still and the long, deep breaths that signal her slumber. Only then does she nuzzle Barbara’s neck and wrap her body around the woman.

“Me too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started writing this chapter late last night, I didn’t really have any set goal in mind short of Selina droppin’ some truth on Tabs, Tabs getting an eyeful of that hot Thompkeans action and Babitha reaching some kind of “understanding” (because I’m old enough to know life doesn’t afford us all that lovely closure we want so badly). 
> 
> Anyway, I’m surprised this thing fell together as well as it did, given I had no real expectations about it. Hmm… maybe that’s the one thing I did right: no expectations. I gotta try to remember that.
> 
> For those of you still reading, thank you kindly. Don’t forget to give me a shout if you find anything requiring my attention. Remember, you are my beta readers for chapters 3 and on.


	6. Unexpected Detour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha stops by The Narrows to pay someone an unexpected visit. 
> 
> Things don’t turn out quite the way she planned.

—>b<—

Barbara wakes the next morning, disappointed (but not the least bit surprised) to find Tabby’s side of the bed empty and cold. She sighs before rising and tending to the evidence of the prior night’s unexpected events.

She fingers the poster to which Tabby tied her before walking to her vanity to put the forgotten harness back into the bottom drawer. Barbara slowly saunters to her closet to discard her ruined clothes, abandoning the heap of silk rags in a wastebasket—only to turn around and retrieve them a few moments later.

She lovingly strokes and folds them, before tucking them into the bottom drawer of her vanity.

—

After bathing and primping herself in preparation for another busy day, she walks into the kitchen to grab a quick bite before heading to the boutique.

Barbara raises her fingers to her lips and quietly gasps in surprise. On her kitchen counter, she discovers a lovely tin of Darjeeling first flush and a bag from her favorite bakery. Inside the pink box within the bag, she finds a selection of her favorite pastries.

Her face splits into a wide smile.

They’re still warm.

  
—>s<—

Selina wasn’t in a hurry to get home after everything that happened at the boutique last night, having finally spilled it to Tabitha about how bummed she’s been about all the fighting. She took her time and arrived late, figuring Tabitha would already be asleep when she returned to their apartment. To her surprise, she found it empty.

—

It isn’t until mid-morning that the she finally hears Tabitha arrive home, entering as quietly as possible. Selina peeks around her screen and watches Tabitha set down a bag from that fancy-schmancy bakery Barbara’s so crazy about close by her apartment. She screws up her face to one side and tilts her head.

_Weird. What was she doin’ over there?_

The girl’s eyes widen with surprise.

_No way._

Kyle’s not much of a breakfast eater, so she decides to head back to bed before checking out the pastries. The girl also figures Tabitha will try to catch a few hours of shut eye since she spent the entire night out and they don’t have to be at work for awhile. However, not long after, her ears prick up at the sound of Tabitha entering the kitchen after a shower, without bothering to make coffee or put on the kettle. She listens for the refrigerator door, but hears nothing.

When she peeks out from behind the screen again, she’s surprised to see Tabitha in full makeup and dressed to go “out” again—heading for the door (with her whip). Just as the woman reaches for the door handle, she stops for a moment and looks back towards her room.

Tabitha quickly heads back to her corner of the apartment and returns shortly after. Selina’s lips part in surprise when Tabby walks back into the kitchen, checking her discreet gun and knife holster which she only carries if she’s expecting trouble or about to make some.

_What the…?_

The woman slips on her leather jacket and scribbles a quick note before leaving it with the bag and heading out. As Tabitha’s footfalls fade, Selina heads over to the kitchen counter and reads the note.

_“Grabbed you a bite._

_Taking care of some stuff before work._

_See you at the boutique._

_—T”_

 

She pulls the box out of the bag and opens it, eyeing all the pastries and smiling. After closing it back up, she suddenly remembers Tabitha’s crack about Barbara playing “doctor” with Lee the previous night.

Her eyes widen.

_She’s going to The Narrows._

Selina sprints off and quickly changes clothes. Before heading out the door, she runs to the pastry box, shoves a strawberry napoleon in her mouth and quickly wraps a toffee pecan scone in tissue paper. She crams it into her jacket pocket before hurrying out.

  
—>l<—

Lee stops by her clinic on what would normally be her day off. Ed’s done a great job stepping up and managing the club’s operational requirements while she’s been helping out the Foxglove the past week. Unfortunately, however, the clinic’s administrative needs have gone unattended since her temporary side gig has taken so much of her time. She hopes to catch up on them before she follows up with Nicky and checks on last night’s patch up.

She walks into her exam room and heads for her counter. She sets down the medical supplies she’s either purchased from the proceeds of her unexpected windfall or that the club has gifted her and begins putting the items away. Just as she finishes, she glances up into the mirror above the counter and catches the reflection of an unexpected visitor silently watching her. She shakes her head and sighs with exasperation.

“What do you want, Tabitha? Didn’t you see enough of me last night?”

The woman shrugs and dismissively replies.

“Not as much as Barbara.”

Lee turns around and rolls her eyes, raising her hands in mock surrender.

“Fine. You win, Tabitha. Just cut the shit. What do you want? Are you here to kick my ass or are you here sniffin’ for some too?”

Tabitha slowly ventures over. She steps in close, crosses her arms and leans to one side. She arches a brow and replies with a combination of interest and disdain.

“Is that an _offer?_ ”

Lee plants a hand on her hip. She sardonically replies out the side of her mouth.

“Depends. What’ll get you _outta_ here faster? I’ve gotta _lotta_ work to do and I _really_ don’t have time for your shit right now.”

Tabitha glances at Lee’s mouth before returning her gaze and narrowing her eyes.

“Guess we better make this _quick_ then, huh?”

Before Lee can rear back a fist for a proper punch, Tabitha immediately steps in, grabs her forearm and holds it in place. She frowns and arches a brow.

[ “Hmph. Looks like someone doesn’t have Tetch Virus making them ‘freakishly strong and mildly insane’ anymore.” ](https://youtu.be/8qOKX8G01CY)

Lee sneers back.

[ “Looks like Barbara’s ‘sidekick’ _still_ feels compelled to make ‘glaringly obvious remarks’.” ](https://youtu.be/8qOKX8G01CY)

Tabitha clamps her free hand around the doctor’s neck and stretches a wolfish grin.

“Shut the fuck up, Lee.”

She yanks Lee forward and crushes her mouth to the woman’s. When the doctor responds with a guttural moan and her free hand begins clawing at the zipper of her leather jacket, Tabitha opens her mouth wide to meet Lee’s tongue.

Her mouth is sweet. Hot. _Fierce._

Tabitha eventually pulls her mouth away and looks into Lee’s eyes, her chest heaving and mouth swollen. She impatiently lifts Lee’s sweater and yanks it off.

“You _liked_ me watching, didn’t you?”

Lee breathlessly replies.

“Yes.”

Tabitha deftly unfastens Lee’s bra and claws it off. She bites at the doctor’s earlobe, growling in her ear.

“Gotta say, so did I.”

She moans at the weight of the woman’s breasts in her hands.

“These spectacular tits of yours.”  
  
Tabitha cups and strokes them, teasing her nipples. She draws them together and leans down to lick and suck, taking them into her mouth one by one before releasing them with a smack. She hurriedly reaches beneath the back of Lee’s skirt and shoves her hands down the back of her panties, squeezing her taut cheeks and pulling the woman flush against her body. She grinds her hips against Lee's.

“This magnificent ass of—”

Lee pushes Tabitha back and looks at her with hungry eyes.

“Shut up and fuck me already.”

Tabitha flashes her teeth and bites at Lee’s neck as she claws off the woman’s panties—surprised at how quickly Lee managed to unzip her leather jacket, shove up her top and unfasten the front closure of her bra. She groans the instant their breasts meet. Tabitha can feel the woman’s fingers already slipping past the waistband of her leather pants in preparation to unbutton her.

Tabby reaches between Lee’s legs and quietly gasps in surprise to feel the woman’s fingers making her way between hers. Tabitha appreciatively smiles to one side of her face, until her brow softens and jaw goes slack the instant Lee’s fingers begin decadently rubbing her through her panties.

Tabitha dives back into Lee’s mouth and inches her fingers downward, slipping into that slick warmth, luxuriating in those lubricious ribbons and teasing at the tiny peak… quivering at the sensation of Lee gliding inside her and moaning as the woman grinds against her hand…

—

Lee’s still putting herself together after Tabitha zips up her leather jacket and heads for the door. The doctor’s voice stops Galavan just as she reaches for the door handle.

“She still loves you, ya know.”

Tabitha stops and puffs out an embittered sigh, never bothering to turn around.

“Yeah? Well she’s gotta funny way of showin’ it.”

“She’s not the only one. From where I stand, it’s painfully obvious you still love her.”

Galavan finally turns to face the woman.

“Not that it’s any of your business. But even if I did, she still chose _herself_ over _us._ Not only that, but—”

She shakes her head and stops herself from saying anymore.

Lee abandons her effort to straighten her sweater. She glances up at Tabitha and snarks.

“Get _over_ yourself, Tabitha. You think you’re the _only_ one here that’s happened to? Jim did the same—”

Tabitha glares.

“You can stop right there. I’m _sick_ of hearing about _him_.”

Lee puffs out a mirthless chuckle.

“You sure about that? Ya _sure_ seem to have a thing for the women he leaves behind.”

Tabitha recoils from the remark. Only then does the doctor finally soften.

“I’m sorry. That was unfair.”

Lee puffs out a sigh.

“Look. I know it’s not my business. And maybe it’s _not_ the same thing, but I had _no idea_ how much I _wasn’t_ over him. Then I overheard one of the homicide detectives make a crack about how much Mario looked like Jim.” She clucks bitterly. “The more I thought about it, the more similarities I saw. If it wasn’t the similarities, it was the differences. All I could do was compare Mario to Jim… how much he was like Jim… how much he _wasn’t_.”

Tabitha’s just about to cut the woman off, but the expression on Lee’s face stops her. The doctor’s eyes and voice grow distant.

“They both lived in the shadows of their powerful fathers and tried to define themselves, despite the expectations of their friends and family—even the city. They were both equally committed to their professions, but once you got past all that…”

Lee struggles to school her face.

“Jim wouldn’t… _couldn’t_ let me in. And it was always _his_ plan, _his_ career that decided _everything_ for us. He was supposed to be the ‘good guy’. The ‘hero’. He had to stay here, despite how much this place was killing him… _us._ Period. No discussion. Then came Loeb… Ed framed him for Pinkney’s murder… It’s all seems so unbelievable now.”

She remembers Mario bringing her so much comfort during her pregnancy and even after—. She shakes off the painful memory.

“But Mario. Despite growing up with a mob boss for a father, he was… thoughtful. Warm. _Open_.” It was as if he could see _every_ place Jim wounded me and he tried to… make it _better_. Take _care_ of me.”

As Tabby listens, she can’t help but think of Barbara and Butch. Despite the mafioso ties and trappings (up to and including the pinstripe suits, wingtips and occasional spats), Butch was so gentle, warm, _comforting_. Her broken teddy bear, despite having been patched up, was still big, soft and worn around the edges in the best possible way.

She could _never_ stop comparing him to Barbara, who was broken in a completely _different_ way, like a shard of glass or a mirror: deceptively small, shiny and _beautiful_ —right until she cut you (even _after_ ).

It was only after Barbara became more and more obsessed with her ambitions, drifting further and further away, did Tabby gravitate more towards Butch, seeking out his constancy as refuge from her fickleness, his steadfastness as ballast to her capriciousness, or his faithfulness in an attempt to assuage the pain of her increasing absence. Butch lovingly and selflessly tended to every last one of the wounds Barbara dealt her. The painful reminder prompts Tabitha to lash out.

“Yeah? Well at least he didn’t kill—”  
  
She stops with Lee’s changed expression, suddenly recalling all the talk on the street about it. _Everyone_ knew it wasn’t a matter of _if,_ but _when_ Falcone would call upon Zsasz to take out Gordon after he killed his son. It was anyone's guess why he later called off the hit, but it wasn’t only the streets that were abuzz with the dish. Barbara followed the headlines in the Gotham Gazette and the news. Tabitha _knew_ Barbara loved her (not him), but she still couldn’t help resenting how much her ex always kept up with Jim, despite everything that happened between them.

Lee takes a quiet breath and tries not to show how much Tabitha’s slip up affects her. She gently responds.

“Barbara didn’t kill him—not completely... Grun—Butch. He hasn’t forgotten you, Tabitha. Not since you three last came down here. He still looks for and asks about the ‘pretty la—’”

Galavan cuts her off with a hand, her voice strained.

_“Don’t.”_

She furiously blinks back the welling in her eyes.

“Just… _don’t._ ”

Lee’s lips part and eyes widen in surprise at how much her statement afflicts Tabitha. She’s never seen the woman so stricken. _Wounded._ She pretends not to notice. She acquiesces with a nod.

Tabitha briefly looks away before sniffing and replying. She struggles to maintain eye contact.

“Thanks for uh… helpin’ us out last night. Nicky and Belsky were really impressed. I wouldn’t be surprised if they requested your services in the future. Oh, and a friend of mine who does whip work at the Foxglove also says you really helped her out.”

She shrugs and shakes her head. After turning to open the door, she briefly glances back at Lee over a shoulder.

“I didn't know you were such a great doctor.”

Lee watches Tabitha quickly stride out and listens as her footfalls fade down the long, quiet hallway. Only after she hears the creak and slam of the old building’s front door does she wash up and turn to the exam table now requiring cleanup after Tabitha’s surprise visit.

  
—>s<—

Selina gets to The Narrows and heads to Cherry’s, but doesn’t see Tabby’s bike. She makes her way to Lee’s office where Ngyma took her the time she talked to the woman about that club gig Barbara called about.

_Nothing._

She finally decides to check out the clinic, hoping to catch Tabitha before she finds Lee in case she has an ax to grind. Selina’s not entirely sure how she could possibly stop Tabitha from hurting Lee (if that’s her plan), but if it is, she feels like she should.

It’s not that she has any particular allegiances to the doctor, but having come up in The Narrows herself, she knows there are only a handful of people who actually stick around and help. Most who can or have the means, just get the hell out of there and never look back. She knows lots of people who love “The Doc”—the one person who consistently cares for and looks out for them.

After heading to the clinic and waiting outside to door, she’s surprised to hear Lee and Tabitha just… _talking_. No angry words. No shouting. No sounds of struggling, objects breaking or the fearsome crack of Tabitha’s whip. She shrugs and silently makes her way out of the building and heads outside in hopes of locating the woman’s bike and she does. Selina finds a well-hidden vantage point and waits.

Several minutes later, she’s surprised to see Tabitha quickly walking out the building’s front door with a pained expression. The woman rapidly strides up to her MT-10, reaching for the handle and placing a hand on the seat before she mounts it.

Selina shrugs and makes to leave herself, but stops the moment Tabitha’s chest begins heaving and she covers her face. Kyle’s stunned to see the woman sobbing. The teen swallows and briefly averts her eyes. After a few moments, the woman shakes her head and wipes her face before mounting her Yamaha and starting the engine.

Only then does Selina finally notice ~~Butch~~ Grundy _(?)_ standing on the opposite corner, sadly watching Tabitha as she speeds away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was completely unplanned and literally just kinda uh... "happened". When I originally conceptualized this story, I never even considered this scene. However, the more I thought about it, the more plausible it became. I could totally imagine Tabitha going to The Narrows to: a) personally find out what all the fuss was about, b) size up the competition, c) kick Lee's &ss, d) kill Nygma, e) all of the above.
> 
>   _I'm not really even sure Tabitha knows her motivations for her impromptu visit and TBH, this is the kinda dumb- &ssery I would've tried to pull when I was younger (except for the killery "d" stuff, anyway)._
> 
> Also, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much Lee and Tabitha had in common (hence the whole Jim/Mario & Babs/Butch comparison). I did something similar in the only other femslash thingie I've ever written, "Broken Things", resulting from a sensory prompt thingie that wound up being pretty fun to write and was a great exercise for me. I admit (sorry/not sorry) that I re-purposed some of that material for this story here.
> 
> Lee and Tabitha’s referenced hissing match happened in 3x21 for those of you who forgot. (Links to the video are embedded for any interested parties.) 
> 
> Y’all know the drill, kiddoes. Holler at me if I need to fix stuff. I’m the only reading it before I post and I’m posting almost immediately after writing it. 
> 
> Thank you kindly for the read, y’all! Oh, and for those reading as I release these, Happy New Year! Wishing you and yours only the best kinda juju this year and for many, many years to come.


	7. Gaining Momentum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha and Barbara gain some traction in their personal and professional relationship. 
> 
> Selina’s tasked with more responsibilities and Lee treats a new patient.

—> **S** <—

Tabitha mindlessly rides around after her abrupt departure from The Narrows, ruminating over Lee’s words.

_“From where I stand, it’s painfully obvious you still love her.”_

She eventually heads to the boutique so she can prepare the storeroom. She and Selina have to pick up a shipment arriving at the docks today. Once there, Tabitha heads straight for their munitions cache. She walks in, surprised to find Barbara assisting Selina. Kyle’s explaining how she rearranged and reorganized their inventory.

Tabitha blinks in surprise, feeling a curious mixture of guilt, relief and happiness to see Barbara.

“Oh. Sorry. I was just about to make sure everything in here was ready for today’s pickup.”

Barbara’s face brightens as she turns to reply. She smiles to one side of her face.

“No need. Belsky called earlier. Looks like he’s courting a client he’d like to bring to us. He’s also rethinking his purchase after skimping on his _first_ order. He asked what we had on hand so Selina and I came to check. I just helped her finish up the count and we got everything together for today’s shipment so...” She shrugs and coyly smiles. “I guess that’s one less thing for you to worry about.”

Tabby glances at Selina, who’s standing behind the blonde with a wide-eyed, incredulous look. The young woman nods back in confirmation. Galavan blinks in surprise, stammering somewhat as she replies.

“Uh… Okay. Thanks.”

Tabitha hesitates in the doorway for a moment, trying to determine her next step since Barbara already handled it. When it finally occurs to her she can now head for the docks, she shakes her head and points a thumb over a shoulder.

“Right. Uh… Selina, I’m ready whenever you are.”

Kyle nods and finishes recording their ammunition count before preparing to head out. Barbara immediately follows behind.

“Mind if I tag along?”

Tabitha absently opens and closes her mouth before shaking her head and shrugging.

“Uh… no. Whatever you wanna do.”

On the way out the door, Barbara stops.

“Hold on. Be back in a sec.”

She hurries back to her parlor and shortly returns. As Kean locks up the boutique, Selina and Tabitha exchange surprised glances when they see the woman’s four-inch, stiletto-heeled Prada pumps have been replaced with her modest two-inch leather Gucci pumps with spikes.

—

Tabitha introduces Barbara to her contacts at the docks and is dumbfounded when the woman helps load the shipment. Even after they return to the shop, Kean assists with hauling and restocking inventory, working up quite an appetite in the process. She has food delivered to the boutique before their next appointment arrives.

After the women finish their meal, Tabitha notices her ex slipping her feet from her pumps and rubbing them together as she stretches. Tabby leans over, brushes Barbara’s knee and coaxes up her foot. The blonde smiles back, both surprised and grateful. The instant Tabby grabs her heel and presses her thumb into the arch of her foot, her jaw goes slack and she moans with relief. Tabitha offers her a modest smile as she rubs her foot, soon noticing a split seam on the shoulder of her suit. Galavan points it out.

“Hey, you gotta ‘nother suit?”

Barbara frowns down at the busted seam and fingers it.

“Uh-oh. Yeah, I think so.”

The blonde offers a playful wink and a smirk.

“Well, at least I didn’t split a nail, right?”

Tabitha can’t help but shake her head and puff out a chuckle. She briefly looks down at her hands as they rub and stretch Barbara’s foot. She presses her lips together and obliquely addresses her ex, never bothering to look up.

“So, uh... I’ve been thinking about checking out some apartments with Selina.” She shrugs. “If you don’t have anything else going on…”

Galavan takes a quick glance over at Selina who’s trying to hide an excited grin as she pokes around in her carry out box. When Tabitha returns Barbara’s gaze, her lips part and her breath catches at the sight of that gorgeous fucking woman beaming back at her the way she _used_ to.

“I’d love to.”

 

—><—

After another lucrative transaction with Belsky a few days later, he provides the Sirens more details about the client he’s courting. The man has ties to the luxury hotel industry and Belsky hopes to strike a deal with him. He aims to expand his “business” operations in hopes of reaching a more affluent clientele.

“Ms. Kean, it seems Mr. Koslov is an avid hunter and appreciates fine blades. He often complains he can never find anything suitable for his needs in the city. I know you specialize in firearms, but you still have an impressive array of items. I informed him about your business and your merchandise, but he’s a little...”

He tilts his head from side to side and looks to Nicky. His nephew looks to Barbara, quickly clarifying.

“ _Eccentric._ ”

Belksy returns his gaze to Kean.

“Yes. That’s it. He prefers to conduct business in his hotels. If the rumors are true, he always has a few rooms available to him off the books and never discloses the room number until his clients arrive. We’re to meet him at The Plaza this Saturday around noon. I know this is somewhat eh… ‘irregular’, but would you consider bringing some of your merchandise to another location? He’s not disclosed anymore details, but, if you agree, I’ll provide you all the information once he shares it with me.”

“Michal, would you mind giving us a moment to discuss our schedule?”  
  
“Of course not. Please.”

Barbara steps aside with the women, turning to Tabitha.

“Don’t you have that other appointment sometime Saturday afternoon?”  
  
Galavan nods.

“Yeah, but Belsky’s meet probably won’t take that long if we’re just showing off some merchandise and…” She nods towards Kyle as she continues addressing Barbara.

“Selina can handle it, right?”

Barbara arches a brow and offers a sly smile.

“Oh, I think she most certainly can. It’s settled then.”

Barbara returns to Belsky, flashing a warm smile.

“We look forward to seeing you Saturday.”

—

When Saturday comes, the Sirens exit the hotel elevator and wheel out their merchandise. A couple of Belsky’s men immediately assist them with their cases and escort the women to the room. Belsky introduces the Sirens to Koslov.

Selina immediately begins unloading and merchandising their products. Barbara presents their blades and explains available customization options. Tabitha points out her favorite knives and their features to Koslov since she’s also an experienced hunter. The Sirens’ inventory, customization options and Tabitha’s insights impress the man. Koslov purchases a few of their blades and even talks a little shop with Galavan.

In fact, things are going so well, no one notices when one of Koslov's men gets careless with a talon blade and slices his open his hand (at least until the man yelps in pain).

  
—>l<—

Since Lee’s temporary Foxglove gig has concluded, she’s finally managed to get the clinic back in order since Ed and Grundy have done a great job keeping up the club. It’s early afternoon, so things are pretty slow. She and Ed are hanging out around the bar when she receives a call from Nicky. She promptly walks away from the bar and answers.

“Mr.—err, _Nicky,_ It’s good to hear from you. What can I do for you? You’re not experiencing any of those symptoms I told you to look out for?”

“No, Dr. Thompkins, not at all. I'm mending well, thanks to you. However, my uncle and I have a business associate in need of medical assistance at The Plaza Hotel. Please say you’re available. We’ll definitely make it worth your while.”

Just as she’s about to answer, she glances at an incoming text from Barbara.

 

_“Any chance you’re free for_

_a quick stitch at The Plaza?”_

 

Lee smirks as she answers.

“It just so happens I am.”

She glances over at Nygma who's watching on. The man promptly sucks down his appletini and digs out the car keys the moment she snaps her phone shut.

—

Lee spends most of the drive waiting for Ed to remark on her changed attire, but his only response was a raised brow when she joined him in the car. (In fact, Nygma's been uncharacteristically quiet since Tabitha's impromptu visit about a week ago.)

After they pull up to The Plaza, she slowly reaches for the door handle, waiting for her partner to voice his consternation. Only after a valet opens the car door for her does he bother to address her.

“You getting your own ride back or do I need to come get you?”

She tilts her head and blinks at his surprising response: no voiced concerns, third degree or insistence on text updates. She puffs out a quiet snort and softly shakes her head.

“No, Ed. Thank you. I think I’m good. I’ll see you later.”

He nods and drives away after she exits. She enters the hotel and heads for the top floor as instructed. One of the men standing guard promptly greets her, offers to carry her medical kit and escorts her to the room. Belksy greets her at the door.

“Dr. Thompkins, I’m pleased you were available on such short notice. My nephew, Nicky, speaks very highly of you. I am Michal Belsky. Please, come in. Mr. Vishnevsky’s this way.”

He guides her over to an injured man, sitting at a table with his hand wrapped in a towel. Tabitha and Selina stand at the periphery of the room, offering subtle nods and smiles as she walks up. Barbara’s accompanying him, keeping pressure on the wound. Lee addresses the woman and the man who greeted her as she takes her medical kit.

“Thank you, Ms. Kean." She nods. "Mr. Belsky.”

She turns to the injured man.

“Mr. Vishnevsky, I’m Dr. Lee Thompkins, let me see what we have here.

Selina leaves to tend to the other appointment for Tabitha while Lee stitches up the man. In the meantime, Koslov and Belsky reach an agreement and conclude their business. Koslov is so impressed with the women, he talks to Lee about concierge medicine and obtains her contact information. He also schedules an appointment to visit the boutique the following week.

"Ladies. It was an absolute pleasure doing business with you. I cannot tell you how pleased I am to have made your acquaintances. I wish I could stay and chat more, but I fear I have other appointments today. If you have no other plans, I'd be honored if you stayed here this evening—all on the house, of course. Consider it a thank you. We have a fantastic spa that I think you'll love, even Miss Kyle." He looks around for her. "Is she not here?"  
  
Barbara replies.

"I'm afraid she had to tend to another matter for us."

The man shakes his head and chuckles, impressed.

"That young lady works _circles_ around my men. She could teach them a thing or two. Please allow me to send a thank you gift for her if she's unable to join you this evening. I insist."

The blonde purrs back.

"Well how could we _possibly_ turn down an offer like that?"

The man clasps his hands with delight.

"It's settled then. Let me contact my concierge. He'll arrive shortly and escort you to your room. Please enjoy yourselves, ladies. I must go to meet with my other clients. I look forward to visiting your boutique next week." He turns to Tabitha and smiles. "You and I have _much_ to discuss, Ms. Galavan. And Dr. Thompkins? I hope I will never need your services, but rest assured I will be calling you if I do. Ms. Kean." He extends his hand and shakes hers. "Thank you again."

  
—>s<—

Selina finally arrives at the address Tabitha gave her and heads to the office suite she was instructed to visit, still uncertain what she’s supposed to be doing. All Tabitha told her was to ask for Lou Whyte. She walks up to the reception area and addresses an older, umber-skinned woman at the desk.

“Excuse me. I’m looking for Lou Whyte.”

The woman rapid-fire answers with a throaty West Indian accent.

“You must be Ms. Selina Kyle, then?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Nice to meet you, love.” She stands, extends her hand and firmly shakes Selina’s. “I’m Louvaine. Please call me Lou. Come with me then. Ms. Galavan said you’d be handling all the rest.”

Kyle nervously shifts her weight, hoping for some kind of clue as to what she's expected to do. She watches as the woman grabs some keys and quickly escorts her out of the office, down a hall and past some retail spaces before finally entering an area with apartments.

Once in the elevator, Lou discusses available services and business hours. They finally stop at a floor and the woman walks Selina to an apartment. She opens the door and waves her in, showing her all the amenities.

Selina cranes her head back and nods,  _finally_ realizing why Tabitha and Barbara have been so secretive lately and insisted she arrive so early to work this morning to take care of the shop while they tended to other matters. As Lou shows her around the apartment, she can see most of their essentials are already there—none of which (fortunately) include the scary couch. She's also delighted to see her folding screen already in a bedroom with a great view. 

Just then, a workman knocks at the door.

“I’m lookin’ for Selina Kyle.”  
  
Wide-eyed, Selina looks to Lou.

The older woman elbows her towards the man.

“That’s _you_ love, not me.”

Selina walks up to the man.

“Uh… yeah. That’s me.”  
  
The man points to the paperwork on his clipboard. “Great. I need you to sign here.” He flips the paper over and points again. “Here and here to authorize delivery of your new furniture.”

Selina gives Lou a worried glance before she begins signing. The woman walks over, offers Selina a side hug as well as the apartment keys, her business card and an envelope.

“I’ll be here for…” The older woman glances at her watch, “...a few more hours. Here’s my cell number. You call me if you need me, love.” She bumps the young woman’s hip and nods her back to the workman.

Wide-eyed, Selina nods and watches the woman stride out. She glances at Lou’s card and opens the envelope with her name on it.

 

_“Selina—_

_thanks for always keeping it real_

_ & for keeping me on my _ ~~_toe_~~ _toes._

_ <3 Tabby” _

 

The first set of workmen walk in with a couch.

“So where d’ya want this?”

Selina stretches a wide grin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m glad to see things finally moving forward with these ladies ‘cause, well… “reasons” (that will become very evident in the next/final chapter). :3 _I'm so transparent._
> 
> As a general rule, I'm not really the kind who's big on fluff, but I really wanted for Selina to have a space she could call her own with someone who looks out for and takes care of her, since she's never had that. It's no secret Tabby's a total bad-&ss and everything, but she seems to have this protective quality about her and I can totally see her doing her best to not just look out for Selina, but to provide for her too. 
> 
> For those of you still reading, thanks. Really. It means a lot. This fic’s been a real challenge for me on a number of levels (my first serious attempt at femslash and a kinda sorta plot that isn't just phuccing. *thoughtfully looks up* _Maybe I really am finally growing up a little. I did after all, just turn fifty..._ *shakes head* _NAH!!! That can't be it!_ ). "Real life" has also gotten in my way. _(Seriously. I can't believe I was in such a hurry to grow up. This adulting sh!t is overrated.)_
> 
> Anyway, y’all know the drill. No one’s reading this but me before I post. If you find something requiring my attention, please accept my humblest apologies and point ‘em out to me so I can fix ‘em.


	8. Savor Every Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara, Tabitha and Lee take some time to indulge at The Plaza.

—III—

The women are duly impressed by the sumptuous room Koslov put them up in. It has a phenomenal view of the city. He sends up chilled champagne, fruit, cheese and dessert trays, as well as a gift bag for Selina.

Now that they’re alone, Lee really sees how differently Barbara and Tabitha behave with one another compared to how they last did at their boutique. Their body language is easier, warmer and far more intimate: the knowing glances, their close proximity and the easy way they move around each other as they scope out and nibble off the trays.

Lee watches Tabitha select and finger a choice strawberry before slowly offering to Barbara. She also can’t help but notice their stares and appreciative glances. Barbara nods at her long black cardigan and black jumpsuit with a lace top— _finally_ making the overture she’s been waiting _and hoping_ for.

“I have to say, Lee. Tabby and I have been _admiring_ your jumpsuit.”

The blonde rakes her eyes all over the black lace top and arches a brow.

“Any chance we could see a little... _‘more’?_ ”

Lee smirks into her champagne flute and takes a long sip.

“Only if Tabitha picks out some fruit for _me_ , too.”

She arches a brow.

“You’re not averse to _‘sharing’_ are you, Barbara?”

Kean stretches an open-mouthed smile. She slowly shakes her head and bites her lower lip.

“Oh _no_ , Lee. Not in the least.”

The blonde smirks to her lover and purrs.

“Tabby, honey? You heard the lady.”

Galavan suggestively grins before sidling over to the fruit tray. She picks out a particularly juicy mango slice and saunters over to the brunette. Tabitha slowly raises it to Lee’s lips. Her breathing accelerates as she watches the bright fruit disappear into _that_ mouth, recalling how easily she lost herself in it.

After consuming the offering, Lee’s eyes knowingly narrow. She glances to the woman’s mouth.

“Go ahead, Tabitha. You know you want to.”

Tabitha slowly leans in and nudges _those lips_ apart, softly moaning and chasing the decadent taste of the fruit and lingering champagne. She reaches behind Lee’s neck to draw her forward and slip her tongue further into the woman’s luscious mouth.

Lee soon hears a low, throaty chuckle as Barbara approaches and reaches for her shoulder. The doctor pulls away from Tabitha’s lips and grabs Barbara’s wrist. A wicked grin tugs at one side of her mouth.

“Oh no, Barbara. You didn’t say anything about _‘touching’_. You only said you wanted to _‘see’_. Or was I mistaken?”

Lee turns to Galavan, who’s appreciatively shaking her head and stretching a wide grin.

“That’s what I heard.”

Tabby nudges Barbara’s neck and bites at her ear, purring into it.

“Sorry, babe, but the lady’s right. Might wanna be careful what you ask for.”

Barbara gasps when Lee clamps down harder on her wrist. The brunette assertively ushers her to a nearby chair and pushes her into it. Lee looms above her and lowers her voice to a growl.

“Don’t move a muscle.”

Barbara’s eyes widen with delight as she watches Lee slink back to Tabitha. The brunette trails a finger down Tabby’s lips, chin, neck and chest, stopping _just_ short of her cleavage. Lee smirks at Tabitha before turning to face Barbara, who’s breathlessly watching on with a champagne flute in hand.

Tabitha feels the stir as the woman trails her finger and eyes her. She reaches for Lee’s hip. Tabitha drags her hand around the doctor’s abdominals and prowls around her. Once behind Lee, Tabby leans in close and presses her breasts into the woman’s back. She rests her hands on Leslie’s shoulders and slowly inches the long cardigan down her arms, unveiling her jumpsuit. Once it slides past the point of her elbows, she allows the garment to fall to the floor.

Lee softly shudders the moment she feels those incredible breasts against her body and hears the woman’s heavy breaths. Lee looks to Barbara, whose face is flushed and breathing accelerated, judging by the rise and fall of her breasts.

The doctor takes abundant pleasure in Kean’s rapt attention, how her eyes widen and lips part as she follows the descent of Tabitha’s fingers and watches the garment fall. Lee soon feels Tabitha gather her long, black hair into her hands, guiding it over her shoulder to one side. The moment Galavan takes the zipper between her fingers, she hears Barbara's quiet gasp.

Lee twitches with Tabitha’s hot breath on her neck as she slowly guides the pull tab down her back. She softly gasps and quivers as the woman strokes her unveiled flesh with her fingertips, stopping and lingering at the small of her back. Tabitha lays her palm against it and teases beneath the jumpsuit with her stroking fingertips.

Tabitha relishes the sight of the soft skin she fondly remembers. She’s half-tempted to immediately unfasten Lee’s bra and fondle her responsive peaks, but she tempers herself. She slips her hands beneath the lace top and slides it past Lee’s shoulders, unveiling her. Tabitha trails kisses down the woman’s neck and shoulder. Before long, she opens her mouth wide and softly bites at Lee’s shoulder, slowly flicking her tongue and appreciatively moaning.

Barbara softly shudders when Tabitha teases Lee with her teeth, intimately familiar with the sensation of Tabby’s mouth on her shoulder and breasts against her back. Kean’s body leans back against the chair on its own volition, all the while watching Tabitha guide Lee’s jumpsuit down past her hips. Her fingers twitch with the memory of Lee’s curves. She watches the woman offer more of her neck and nudge her ass back to grind against Tabitha once the jumpsuit falls to the floor in a heap.

Tabitha trails her hands up either side of Lee’s body before reaching around and slowly traversing her midriff, eventually venturing upward to gather the woman’s breasts. Lee moans in response, but the moment Tabitha reaches to unfasten the front closure of her bra, she holds the woman’s hands to stop her. Lee steps out of her felled jumpsuit and turns to face Tabitha, softly shaking her head and clucking.

“Not so fast. _Patience_ , Ms. Galavan.”

Barbara bites her lower lip.

Lee approaches the leathered woman, hungrily ogling her as she removes her jacket. She tosses it to the floor and turns her attention to the woman’s top. Lee’s lips appreciatively part at the sight of Galavan’s revealed torso. She arches a brow.

“Spectacular tits _indeed_.”

Tabitha’s grin stretches impossibly wide. Just as Tabby reaches for the doctor, she feels the woman’s firm hand against her chest. Lee shakes her head and scolds her in a playful, sing-song voice.

“Ah ah.”

Tabitha watches transfixed as Lee descends to her knees before her. The heat immediately gathers between her legs when the woman reaches to unfasten her leather pants. She softly shudders when the doctor strategically places her mouth mere centimeters from her mound and slowly inches down her pants to her knees, calves and ankles. Tabitha’s so distracted, she doesn’t even register Barbara’s loud groan.

Lee arches a brow up at Tabitha, waiting for her to step out of a leg. As she does, Lee closes her eyes and inhales more of _that scent_ she hasn’t been able to stop thinking about. She nudges her face up to Tabitha’s mound and softly presses her lips against it.

“Mmm…”

Galavan’s thighs and abdominals immediately quiver. Lee raises her hands to the woman’s hips and holds them. She tilts her head and leans into the woman, closing her eyes and opening her mouth wide. She lays her tongue flat over the woman’s panties against her vulva—catching the _faintest_ taste of her. Her body softly jerks with Tabitha’s, their moans melding.

Lee presses her mouth more against Tabitha. She takes a longer, deeper lick and slowly brings her lips together to capture the woman’s panties between her front teeth. She gazes up past Tabitha’s trembling abdominals and heaving breasts before pulling them back and releasing them with a smirk. Tabitha moans the instant her panties snap taut against her.

Barbara’s lost in the spectacle before her. She squirms in her chair and moans, absently reaching to touch herself. Lee immediately scolds her.

“Not a muscle, Barbara. I didn’t stutter.”

Lee rises from her knees and saunters over to the seated woman. She crosses her arms and leans to one side, her voice hard.

“Give me that hand.”

Barbara bites her lower lip and immediately complies. Lee looks down at the offered hand and stretches a predatory grin. She rears back her hand and slaps the woman. The blonde gasps and holds the hot side of her face, eyes wickedly twinkling. Lee tangles her fingers into Barbara’s hair and yanks it as she turns to face Tabitha.

“Does she _always_ have this much problem following instruction?”  
  
Tabitha tilts her head and arches a brow.

“She can be… _‘willful’_.”

Lee lifts her stilettoed foot and rests it on the chair between Barbara’s knees, slowly sliding it forward until it slips beneath her ass and presses flush against her crotch. Lee looms over Barbara and yanks her hair again. Kean responds with a loud groan.

“Maybe she needs a little ‘time out’ to think about it.”

Lee nudges her foot further forward, smirking as Barbara grinds against it. Lee pulls Barbara’s hair again and smirks back at Tabitha who’s slowly nodding in agreement with a wolfish smile.  
  
“Maybe she _does_.”  
  
Tabitha saunters over to their merchandise cases and grabs some luggage straps. She briefly considers pulling out the strap-on harness and dildo she brought in a personal bag (to reduce the probability of mortifying Selina during today’s surprise move), but thinks better of it—curious to see what the doctor has in store.

Tabby also grabs her whip and drags it behind her as she slinks over to the women. When she joins them, she guides the whip between Barbara’s legs, up and past Lee’s foot in the seat of Barbara’s chair and up the blonde’s body until it’s to the point of her shoulders.

Tabitha hands the luggage straps to Lee and prowls behind Barbara, stretching the whip between her fists and twisting it in her hands. She leans forward and presses her breasts into Barbara as she slowly draws the leather beneath the woman’s chin, cinching it upward—not quite taut (but firmly enough to make the blonde gasp). She grins up at Lee as she gathers the cinched whip and offers it to her, trading it for the luggage straps. Lee cinches the whip even tighter around Barbara’s neck, still holding the woman’s hair in a fist and slowly slipping her foot out from between her legs. Kean shamelessly tries to follow Lee’s foot, craving more friction.

Tabitha stretches a rapacious grin at Lee. She repeats the same words she told Barbara at the church after they kidnapped the doctor and Jim.

“Savor every moment.”

Barbara gasps, recalling the time Lee sat bound and helpless before her. Lee remembers too. She growls and yanks the whip. Lee prowls around her, guiding her neck and head, making every effort to lean and rub against the woman whenever possible. Tabitha takes the luggage straps and cinches Barbara's arms and legs to the chair, tightly affixing and tucking them so the woman can’t possibly loosen them and free herself. Once Tabby has Barbara secure, Lee nudges her lips against the shell of Kean's ear and tongues it.

“Guess you get to sit this one out since you can’t seem to do as your told.”

Lee releases the blonde’s hair and neck, appreciatively watching Kean twitch and groan as she slinks around her, just barely out of reach of her fingertips. She abandons the whip around Barbara’s shoulders, slinks up to Tabitha and takes her by the wrist. She guides Galavan to the bed until the back of the woman's legs are flush against it. Lee reaches behind Tabitha’s neck and licks beneath her chin, up to her mouth and deeply kisses her. The moment Tabitha reaches to pull her closer, Lee pushes her back onto the bed.

Galavan looks up in surprise as the woman slinks atop and tents herself over her, smirking down with smug satisfaction. Tabitha immediately grabs at the woman’s hips and ass, pulling her body close and thrusting up into her.

Lee decadently undulates against Tabitha, occasionally glancing back over a shoulder at Barbara who’s wantonly grinding in her chair. Tabby impatiently unfastens and rips off Lee’s bra, greedily taking the woman’s breasts into her hands as their hips rock to meet each other.

Lee removes Tabitha’s bra and purrs at the sight of her magnificent breasts. She leans forward and presses her body to Tabitha’s, rubbing their tits together. Lee moans in response to Galavan’s warm curves and the impatient hands tugging at her panties. She obliges the woman by slipping out of them. Once liberated, Lee takes Tabitha's heavy breasts into her hands and mouth, luxuriating in them and sucking them.

Tabitha takes Lee’s ass into her hand and peers into the eyes as dark as her own, decadently stroking at the lubricious slick between the woman’s legs and breathlessly moaning.

“I want to taste you again. I want you in my mouth.”

Lee’s snatch twitches with the woman’s utterance. She happily obliges Tabitha, maneuvering herself so that she faces her audience while she straddles her lover's face—watching an increasingly wrecked Barbara Kean grind in her chair and struggle against her bindings. Tabitha grabs the woman’s hips and guides that luscious snatch to her mouth. Thompkins groans with Tabitha’s first indulgent swipe and her eyes droop as she wantonly grinds into her ravenous mouth.

Lee holds herself up with both hands, shamelessly gyrating against Tabitha's face and bucking onto her tongue. She locks eyes with Barbara who’s clamping onto the armrests and furiously rutting against her chair. Lee’s hips soon begin getting away from her as the warmth gathers inside her and her muscles grow increasingly taut. She absently mutters.

“Tabitha...”

Galavan responds with a groan and clamps down harder on Lee's ass, drawing her firmly against her face: lapping, licking, rocking and moaning. Lee grinds more urgently, growing hotter, wetter, hungrier... before that heat, flash and shudder. She cries out as she jerks and trembles against Tabitha's voracious mouth, all the while watching Barbara: transfixed. Wanton. _Hungry._

Tabitha takes a final decadent lick, her own snatch hot and twitching and so fucking wet. Her body’s practically vibrating. She removes a hand from Lee’s hips and trails it past her heavy breasts and quivering abdominals. She reaches between her legs to fondle herself—grinding against her hand. Just as Tabby’s about to slip her fingers past the waistband of her panties to finger herself, Lee grabs her wrist and removes it.

Galavan gasps and watches in disbelief as Lee rises from her face to lean forward and tug her panties down her hips, past her ass and knees. Tabitha twitches with anticipation, her chest heaving. She gazes down at the spectacular sight of Lee slowly grinding herself against her tits. She softly moans and undulates in response to the faint damp kisses of the woman’s nether mouth. She inhales a ragged breath once Lee works off her panties and tosses them aside before coaxing her legs apart.

Lee flicks her tongue against the innermost part of Tabitha’s thigh, all the while grinning at Barbara.

“Did Tabitha tell you she came to see me?”

Barbara’s answer breathlessly spills from her lips before she can think, her voice ragged.

“Yes.”  
  
“Did she tell you what she did to me?”  
  
Kean’s snatch clenches and her jaw goes slack. She claws at the armrests, absently nodding and groaning.

“ _Yesss_.”

Lee huskily replies.

“You want to watch me do it to _her_ , don’t you?”

Barbara clamps down hard on the armrests and grinds pathetically in her seat.

“ _God_ yes.”

“What’s the magic word, Barbara?”  
  
“Please.”

“ _Come_ now. You can do better than _that_.”

Kean gasps, her body trembling and voice pleading, _desperate_.  
  
“ _Please_ , Lee. I’m _begging_ you. I want to watch you fuck Tabitha.”

“ _That’s_ better.”

Tabitha moans and quivers with the mere _suggestion_ of what’s to come. Lee smirks in response. She runs a hand up Tabitha’s thigh, only to ghost her fingertips between her legs, taking abundant pleasure in watching the notorious hard-ass gasp and sputter, unabashedly chasing the fingers between her legs. It thrills her. Lee deliberately teases the woman’s lips apart before painstakingly slipping her middle two fingers inside, purring.

“You’re even wetter than _last_ time.”

Lee takes a long appreciative whiff of the scent she’s been unable to shake, its lingering notes still on her tongue from earlier: salty, earthy and just a _little_ sweet. She nudges her face between Tabitha’s legs and takes an experimental flick at the woman’s tiny peak, soon losing herself in the woman’s essence: how soft and wet and _decadent_ she feels beneath her tongue and how helpless she renders the woman. It sets her teeth on edge. She can feel herself growing wetter.

Lee licks and fingers the woman beneath her. Her hips soon follow the tempo of Galavan’s. It isn’t too long before the doctor feels Tabitha’s fingers brush against her pubic hair and press against her vulva, soon teasing her lips apart to slowly gather and rhythmically rub her clitoris between her fingers. Lee’s hips gyrate in response.

The doctor laps and fingers Galavan with increasing excitement. She adds another finger and licks her clit with increasing fervor, ushering louder moans and more urgent rocking from Tabby. Lee loses control of her hips as Tabitha’s abdominals and thighs tighten. The darker woman's grinding becomes increasingly urgent until she finally cries out, furiously chasing Lee’s tongue and fingers. Lee finds herself coming again as Tabitha quakes and her deepest muscles clamp down hard around her fingers, bucking onto them and grinding until her pace finally slows and her legs grow slack.

Barbara’s a wreck by the time the two women approach to release her from bindings, stunned at how weak-kneed and wet she is when she tries to stand. She trembles as they remove her clothes, Lee before her and Tabitha behind, gasping when her skin comes in contact with theirs. Her nipples harden and all the hairs on her body stand on end.

Barbara’s breath hitches when Lee grabs her hair and pulls her to her lips, opening her mouth wide and moaning at Tabitha's essence on the woman’s tongue. She groans into Lee’s mouth when the woman’s fingers tease at her breasts and eventually glide down between her legs, slipping between and inside. As she grinds against Lee’s hand, she leans back against the pendulant breasts and offers her neck to Tabby's teeth. In little time, Tabitha reaches from behind to squeeze her breasts and tease her nipples while Lee deeply kisses and fingers her.

Barbara can't remember how she got to the bed. She's having a hard enough time processing the fact Lee Thompkins' face is between her legs and her tongue is up her snatch and teasing at her clitoris. Tabitha looms above her from the opposite side of the bed, deeply kissing her with Lee's taste still in her mouth, occasionally rubbing her voluptuous breasts in her face while she teases and squeezes and licks and sucks at her tits. Kean is lost between the two women, adrift in a haze of desire. Just as Barbara’s hips get away from her, meeting Lee’s mouth and chasing that exquisite pressure building between her legs, the woman slows her pace. She pulls back and smirks.  
  
“ _Patience_ , Barbara.”

Barbara looks down in disbelief, chest heaving. She helplessly watches on as Tabitha abandons her and saunters over to her bag, groaning with anticipation the moment she remembers its contents. She's titillated by the thought of Tabby fucking her with it as Lee watches, only to stare in stunned surprise as her lover approaches Lee with a wanton grin. She squats and helps Thompkins step into the harness.

Kean watches Tabitha rise and slip the harness up onto Lee’s hips, securely tightening it and whispering something into the woman’s ear, before offering an encouraging nod and a smirk. Barbara’s jaw slackens at the sight of Lee Thompkins sporting their black leather harness and dildo, looming above her with hungry eyes and a snarling lip.

“Roll over.”

Barbara immediately complies, twitching with anticipation. She cries out when Lee grabs her by the ankles and pulls her down the side of the bed so that she’s bent over it. Kean’s breath hitches when Lee nudges her foot inside hers and kicks it outward to spread her legs further apart. The doctor leans and presses her body flush against her. Barbara juts her ass back and shamelessly offers herself, only to feel a swift hard smack on her ass.

“Not _yet_ , Barbara.”

Barbara instantly breaks into a sweat. Lee responds with three more stinging, rapid-fire blows against her ass and Tabitha with a low, appreciative chuckle. Barbara yelps and her face grows hot, only to feel a flicking tongue against the angry flesh of her ass, making her squirm. She soon feels Lee slotting herself between her legs, gliding the dildo over her ass and against her vulva, taunting her. Barbara pathetically whimpers.

“Please, Lee.”  
  
“Please _what_ , Barbara?”

“ _Please_ fuck me.”

“Oh, I plan to.”

Barbara whimpers as Lee slowly lines herself up and _painstakingly_ slips inside her until she fills her to the hilt, grinding into her. Thompkins slowly pulls out and repeats the process, gradually building momentum—eventually slamming into her and grabbing her blonde hair. When Barbara reaches to touch herself, she receives another stinging blow.

“ _Only_ if I get to watch, Barbara.”

Barbara groans when Lee pulls out. She turns to face the woman, who’s staring at her with a predatory gaze, nodding her to the bed. Kean’s chest heaves as she squirms up and lies back on it, only to feel Lee assertively reach beneath her calves to pull her close before guiding the dildo up to and inside her again.

“Oh fuck. Lee!”

Lee’s breath quickens as she stares down at Barbara: face flushed, head tossed back and hair spilled onto the bed. The rise and fall of her breasts, her trembling body and the way she shamelessly offers herself, legs spread wide, beckoning, opening all the way… Lee bites her lip at the sight of Barbara’s drooping eyes and open mouth as she reaches down and rubs her clit while she fucks her. It's tableau. Tabitha soon joins Barbara on the bed, ravenously kissing and licking her, biting at her neck and sucking her tits.

Lee’s lost and heady in the rhythmic slapping, watching as Tabitha has her way with Barbara and occasionally touches herself. Thompkins slips in and out of Kean… growing hotter as she imagines how it must feel to have Barbara’s slick, wet warmth tightly wrapped around her... to be so far up inside her she can never crawl back out again….

Lee moans and pumps harder, mesmerized by the sound of her hips slamming into Barbara; watching as the woman grows rigid and cries out—jerking and coming so fucking hard Lee swears she is too.

—

After a crowded (but very fun) shower, the women inhale the food Koslov sent up. Lee’s surprised (and a little disappointed) when Barbara and Tabitha start packing up, given it’s only late afternoon. She takes it as her cue to leave and also begins gathering her things.

“I should probably get back myself.”

Barbara shakes her head.

“Koslov offered to put us up for the night and we still haven’t checked out the spa. Nygma’s a big boy, he can handle it. Take some time and  _pamper yourself_. Tabby and I have something we _really_ need to check on, but _afterwards?_ ”

She shrugs and coyly smiles.

“Who knows?”

—><—

Selina’s happily sprawled out on the new couch (without her Docs), taking a much-needed break from arranging her new room when she hears another knock at the apartment door. She puffs out a big breath, assuming it’s another delivery guy or workman.

When she opens it, she’s pleasantly surprised by the sight of Tabitha with pizza boxes from Frankie’s. Not even she can help stretching a big goofy grin.

Tabitha walks in and hands Selina her fancy gift bag.

“Koslov sent this for you since you had to leave early.”

Just before she can look inside it, Barbara peeks from around the door and smiles.

“Well _hey_ there, kitty cat. Mind if I come in and check out the new digs?”  
  
Selina beams a lopsided grin in spite of herself and nods the woman in. Just as she’s about to shut the door and peek in her bag, she’s surprised to hear _another_ familiar voice.

“Not so fast, Selina. I was told I was supposed to bring ‘real’ ice cream or something?”

The girl puffs out a snort when Lee wiggles a sack from her favorite ice cream shop. She waves the woman in. Selina later gives the women the lowdown on the move over pizza and ice cream. The women, in turn, tell her about how Koslov arranged for the four of them to stay at the hotel that night and granted them complimentary spa treatments during their stay. Tabitha looks to Selina.

“So, we’re all thinking about going back and checking out the spa tonight or tomorrow, maybe even spending the night. It’s got a really great view. You wanna come too?”

Selina smiles and shakes her head as she spoons out some ice cream. She glances at the gift bag Koslov sent her with fancy chocolate truffles and spa products from The Plaza in her room.

“Nah. I think I feel like stayin’ in tonight. I’m kinda tired. You guys have fun. I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

The three women look to one another and grin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first thought about writing a tawdry tale with these ladies, my idea was pretty much limited to something like the contents of this final chapter. Really. I just wanted some hot Thompkeans and Babitha action, leading to these three hotties banging (BabithaLee? *shrugs* lord-garbage suggested BabbyLee. _Someone? Anyone?_ ). Maybe a little voyeurism, exhibitionism, some slapping and spanking, maybe some toys… but no plot. None. _(Wait. Unless the plot is everybody does everybody and multiple orgasms for all. That’s a plot, right?)_
> 
> So yeah. Like you’ve heard me complain repeatedly: my partner-wifey said I had to come up with a story so women would read it—which was the main reason for my endless consternation about it. You’re welcome. Hopefully, it didn’t suck too badly. 
> 
> Feel free to throw crap at me, but I was kinda non-committal about Tetch!Lee in 3x21 vampin’ it up with that killer cat eye. I mean, don’t get me wrong: she looked hot as F*CK now, I just wasn’t “buying” it. It felt a little, I dunno “off” or something. However, by the time s4 rolled around? Watchin’ dark!Lee swagger and strut around Cherry’s wearin' all that black, “Toodles, poodle.”, hammerin’ Samson’s hand & that sh!t with Sofia Falcone?! *howls like a wolf*
> 
> Now _then_ I could imagine her unleashing her p*ssy power and making Gotham fall to its knees. _Jess slowly and appreciatively shakes her head, biting her lower lip. Mmm-mmmm good._ (But seriously though. We all know Lee Thompkins has gotta be an animal in the sack. *shrugs* That’s how I’m headcanoning this sh!t anyway! It’s _my story_ and I’ma tell like _I want!_ )
> 
> I thought it'd be super fun to make Lee the surprise star of this three-way sexcapade. Every time I listened to "An Echo, A Stain", I just pictured Lee prowling around Barbara and dominating the scene. I think I included a link to the song in the final endnotes for any interested parties. Yeah. I know that song's old, just like your humble author. I don't listen to sh!t unless it's _at least_ twenty-five years old (or as old as you). *shrugs* Just sayin'.
> 
> What else? Ah. “Savor every moment” happened in 2x08. I thought it’d be fun for Tabitha to say the same thing to Lee, since like can usually identify like and I can see her intuit that Lee seems _quite capable_ of giving Barbara “the proper fuck” she needs. ;’)
> 
> Okay, y’all. That’s all I got. For any of you still reading, again: _Thank you, kindly._ It means the world to me that you were willing to read my porny story. I raise my glass of single malt scotch to all you out there in hopes it put a little joy in your life and that you, in turn, might ‘spread your joy’ and share it with others. (That’s what I plan to do.)
> 
> My lord and liege: I can’t thank you enough for your support when I first began this endeavor. You helped me more than you can possibly imagine. You, love, are a muphuccin’ savant beta and catcher of things and conjurer of amazing ideas and hilarity. And your Incorrect Gotham Quotes?! *titters with delight* Oh, to have a smidge of your brilliance! You’re a ROCKSTAR.
> 
> Otov_Sensa: Thank you for all the kind words and encouragement on “Broken Things”. They’re what inspired me to write this (and indirectly helped me improve my writing some by finally developing an actual ‘plot’—not that it wasn’t the source of much consternation and b!tching on my part, but still! *winks*). But seriously. Thank you for the reads, the support, the comments and for being so damb phuccing adorable. This is for you and as I’ve said before: I’m crazy proud of you. You’re gonna do great things. I hope the day comes when you believe in yourself as much as I do. You _do_ deserve all the sparkles and all the good things. I love you, sweetheart. 
> 
> “NOW GET THE F*CK OFF MY LAWN!”
> 
> :D

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise! This fic’s not a Victor Zsasz sausage fest like most of my stuff.
> 
> I’ve always found the prospect of a Thompkeans hookup ridiculously hot after that “Toodles, poodle” tête-à-tête, but never considered taking the time to write a fic about it. Not long after 4x08, I remember randomly hearing [ Björk’s “An Echo, a Stain”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIWJ6KOKrVM) and totally envisioned these two doin’ uh… “stuff”—hence my working title:
> 
> “She touched  
> My arm  
> And smiled
> 
> One of these days  
> Soon  
> Very soon  
> Love you 'til then  
> Love you 'til then
> 
> Feel my breath  
> On your neck  
> And your heart  
> Will race
> 
> Don't say no to me  
> You can't say no to me  
> I won't see you  
> Denied
> 
> I'm sorry you saw that  
> I'm sorry he did it  
> An echo  
> A stain  
> A stain
> 
> I can't say no to you  
> (I can't say no to you)  
> Say nothing
> 
> Free falling  
> Complete”
> 
> Had Otov_Sensa not said some ridiculously nice things about my “Broken Things” and seemed so pumped about the prospect of more femslash, I probably wouldn’t have written it—but what self-respecting lesbian’s gonna say “no” to a lovely lady? (How the phucc would I know? I ain’t gotta lotta self-respect.) This is for you, sistah. I hope you like it. *crosses fingers, eyes, toes and arms*
> 
> Last but certainly not least: I’ve gotta give the biggest shout out to tumblr’s magnificent lord-garbage. Y’all have probably seen my lord and liege's ridiculously brilliant and side-splitting “incorrect Gotham quotes”. (If you haven’t, I suggest you get your &ss off ao3 right now and go check that sh!t out. I mean it. NOW.) Had it not been for that evil genius’ perspective, endless patience talkin’ me through stuff, helpin’ me hammer out ideas and catchin’ so flippin’ many of my goofs, this fic wouldn’t be anywhere close to what it is. It would have just been two hotties doin’ it (with lotsa errors in it)—which is pretty much the only thing I seem to write.
> 
> Lastly, for those of you still reading: thank you, kindly. Really, y’all. It means a lot.


End file.
